Black Blood
by AprilFlowers96
Summary: Andromeda is the picture of a perfect Pureblood daughter: beautiful, intelligent, and graceful. The only problem is that she's fallen in love with a Muggleborn, and has managed to keep it a secret so far. Her seventh year at Hogwarts, however, bubbles into the ultimate decision- she will no longer be a Black.
1. Black Manor, Part1

"I wonder if there are any fairies- Oooh, look! A Bowtruckle! Can I touch it, Dromeda, please, please?"

Andromeda glanced up from her book to watch her eleven-year-old cousin, Sirius, stare up into a large cherry tree on the other side of the garden. The boy had been hunting for small creatures for the entirety of the time (two hours now, sweet Merlin, her parents could talk) Andromeda had been watching him – and got excited over every little thing he found, even an inchworm, a very not-magical creature.

Looking up at the tree, Andromeda said, "Isn't that a bit high for you, love?"

"I could climb-"

"No!" piped Regulus from his spot on the grass by Andromeda's bench, "The last time you climbed a tree, you tore your trousers, and mother got mad! She said-"

"Oh, mind your own, Regulus!" Sirius snapped, "Mum isn't here, is she?"

Regulus, obviously perturbed by his brother's disregard for their mother's rules, narrowed his eyes and plopped himself down next to Andromeda. Regulus might be a spoiled brat, but his attitude amused her.

"You know, Regulus," she said, as Sirius started to jump to try and grab the lowest branch of the tree, "It's not _your_ problem if Sirius gets in trouble. You did tell him not to." The ten-year-old grinned slightly. "So, let your brother have his ridiculous fun. If he tears his clothes again, he'll know not to do it anymore." she continued.

Sirius was now hanging from the lowest branch, swinging a bit to try to get his feet up onto the next branch. Andromeda sighed as she watched. Sirius was a bit more than a year older than Regulus, but the younger one was so much more mature. That or he just didn't want to disobey his mother. If she thought about it, Andromeda didn't either, as Walburga Black was kind of terrifying, and she didn't know how it was possible that she produced such a lovely kid like Sirius.

Suddenly, a door slammed and Andromeda shot to her feet. Looking over the bushes, she watched the very woman she was thinking of, her Aunt Walburga heading out into the garden, followed by her very own mother.

"Sirius!" Andromeda hissed rushing down the path towards the boy, "Get down, your mother's coming!" He apparently was not allowed to climb trees, and if his mother caught him on Andromeda's watch, it would not be good.

Sirius's eyes grew wide for a moment, and he immediately dropped down, landing on his backside. He quickly got up and rushed over to Andromeda, who took his hand and led him to the bench she had vacated. She sat Sirius down next to her, picked up her book from the ground, and opened it on her lap.

"Slowly, Merlin began to learn more and more the secrets of the new Dark – Hello, Aunt Walburga, mother." Andromeda greeted, looking up as the women approached.

Walburga smiled pleasantly, but Druella Black did not look amused. "Hello, dear," she said, "The boys are leaving now. Your sister and your aunt and uncle had a lovely chat."

"I'm sure Narcissa thought it was very beneficial." said Andromeda, closing her book. Sirius sat quietly, and Regulus looked quite smug.

"Come, boys," said Walburga sharply, "We must be on our way, I'm sure Andromeda doesn't want to be burdened with you anymore."

Andromeda quickly shook her head and put her arm around Sirius. "They're not problem, really," she said, "I love spending time with them."

Her aunt gave a sour smile. "That's nice, darling." she said dismissively. "Come, boys!" Regulus jumped to follow her, but Sirius slowly slid from the stone bench. Walburga gave Druella a kiss on the cheek, and Sirius hugged Andromeda tightly around the waist.

"'Bye, Dromeda," he said, "I'll miss you."

Andromeda got down on her knees to give the boy a proper hug. "Goodbye, Sirius," she said, "It won't be long. Only a few more weeks until you go to Hogwarts, right?"

Sirius smiled and nodded. "And then I'll see you every day."

"You will," she said. She hugged him one more time. "Behave, all right?"

The boy smirked as naughtily as he could. "No promises." he said. Andromeda shook her head, grinning, and got to her feet. Sirius rushed to catch up with his mother, who was already half way across the garden to the gate. Druella was still standing, apparently waiting for her daughter. _How polite_, Andromeda thought.

"It's good of you to keep an eye on your cousins while their parents are busy." she said, gesturing with her body towards the house. Andromeda followed.

"It's nothing, I like watching them." she said.

Druella stared stonily head. "They seem to like you. Especially Sirius."

"He's a lovely boy." said Andromeda, glancing through her lashes at her mother. Druella frowned, but said nothing else. The entire family knew Sirius was a trouble maker, and often went against his parent's wishes, but Andromeda didn't see the problem, as he was only eleven. What she did see, however, was that any child in their family who was less than perfect was definitely not the favorite. Unlike-

"Bellatrix," said Druella as they entered the house, "Welcome back, darling."

The oldest Black sister seemed to have just returned from her date with her new boyfriend. She looked immaculate as always, absolutely perfect. She smiled at her mother.

"Hello, mother," she said, and turned to Andromeda, "Andie."

Andromeda narrowed her eyes. "Bella." she said. "How was your date with – now, what is his name – Marcus? (Bellatrix hissed quietly) No, it's Rodolfus."

"Lovely, thank you." Bellatrix said through her teeth. Andromeda smirked. She hated when someone called her Andie, and Bellatrix knew that, so she naturally had to get back at her.

"I'm glad you enjoyed your day, darling," said Druella, "but I'd like to find Narcissa now. To your rooms, girls."

Andromeda's mother was a woman of few, sharp words. She never dawdled, and always said exactly what she wanted to happen. Andromeda often disagreed with her mother, and everyone else in her family. Except for Sirius, her Uncle Alphard, her father's brother, and sometimes Narcissa, but even the youngest Black sister could be somewhat disagreeable.

Bellatrix led the way up the staircase to the third floor, where their bedrooms were. "I can't believe you mentioned Marcus in front of mother, Andromeda," she snapped, "You know he was just a fling."

"A four month fling, Bella?" said Andromeda, "You two were close-"

"Not in the way you think!" Bellatrix interrupted, "Mother does not need to know about every boy I date."

"She knows about Rodolfus." A handsome Pureblood who graduated from Hogwarts the year before Bellatrix, whose seventh year ended months earlier.

Bellatrix smirked at her sister and flicked her black curls. "Rodolfus Lestrange is not a boy, Andie," she said lewdly, "Rodolfus is a _man_."

Andromeda made a face. "Oh, shut _up_, Bella," she said, "I don't want any details about him!"

"Then don't sound so interested!" said Bellatrix, "And you won't know anything."

Andromeda's eyes fell on Bellatrix's now exposed throat. "Tell that to the love bite on your neck."

Bellatrix gasped and rushed up the rest of the stairs and into her bedroom, slamming the door. Andromeda knew that her sister would never stand for anything marring her perfect complexion, and that Rodolfus would hear about it. Also, their parents would not stand for anything as _pedestrian_ as a love bite. The Black Sisters are ladies, and deserve to be treated as such, which means courting only when it comes to relationships.

If only Bellatrix hadn't offered herself to every eligible boy in her year.

Andromeda's bedroom was the only place in all of Black Manor that she could do whatever she wanted, and no one would be there to tell her to sit up straight or stop talking so much. The walls were boring, uncovered – painted silver, though she didn't really mind, considering it was one of her House colors – but she customized everything else. Purple was a favorite, so her large bed had a purple bedspread, and silk curtains. The room had very cool colors, but to Andromeda, it was nothing but warm.

Shortly after she had unpinned her hair and taken off her stockings, there was light tap at her window. Her heart started to speed up, as it did every time her owl came home. Her owl, Polaris, meant only one thing- a letter.

Andromeda jumped up from her vanity and rushed over to her window. She threw it open, and Polaris flapped in and landed on the window sill, dropping an envelope on the cushion. The flap was held down by a sticker, Andromeda noticed, and this time it looked like a daisy. _Muggles, they're so funny_, she thought as she picked up the letter.

Careful to preserve the sticker, Andromeda opened the envelope and pulled out the letter inside, her heart fluttering madly with excitement.

_My Lovely Andromeda_,

_It's been more than a month and a half since the last time we've been together. So, naturally, I'm assuming you miss me (actually, I'm not assuming anything, you told me in your last letter. moving on). I'm dying to see you again. I love my parents dearly, and being home is brilliant and all, but it's nothing compared to late nights in the library "studying" with you._

Andromeda blushed brightly. She told him not to speak of that!

_I've told my mum and dad all about you. They really want to meet you, Dromeda, and not just because you're a witch. Although, my mother did seem particularly excited about that. I wonder if she secretly thought that all I could land myself was a troll or something. She has so little faith in me. But trust me, love, you are so much prettier than a troll. _

_ How have you been holding up? I hope your parents aren't being too harsh. Has your mother undone her bun yet? I'm thinking that one day, it's going to become too tight, a tear her face right off._

_ Sorry, just making observations._

_ I have to ask you a favor too. Could you get a hold of at least one Chocolate Frog and send it my way? Muggle sweets just cannot compare. One let down of holidays… no Chocolate Frogs. My card collection is almost complete, you know._

_ Anyway, I hope you're enjoying your holiday, and that you aren't dead yet, either from boredom or a curse from that lovely older sister of yours. I don't understand why she hates me so much (Alright, I do, the whole Pureblood supremacy thing, and I'm not exactly nice to her). Why do people always pick on the Hufflepuffs, huh? _

_ I still don't understand why __you__ like me. You're the picture of beauty, intelligence, and grace, and I'm a sloppy, scraggly git. But a cute git, right? I hope to see you soon, darling. Maybe one of these days, I'll just sneak out of the house, and have Polaris show me how to fly right to your window. I'm getting better on a broom, you know. _

_Affectionately Yours,  
Ted_

Andromeda hugged the letter to her chest, leaning against her window. She yearned to see him, hug him, burry her face in his chest. Ted was right; it had been much too long since the last time they've been together. At school, they spent every moment they could together, and since summer started, they hadn't seen each other.

Ted wasn't like Rodolfus. Andromeda couldn't leave for almost an entire day and spend it with the love of her life, not like Bellatrix could. Ted was a Muggleborn, and Andromeda could not be seen with him, especially by her parents or her sisters. She'd be disowned for sure. But she loved him more than her own life, and it was hurting the both of them, being away for so long.

She had to see him. That was the only way. And just waiting for school to start again was not an option.


	2. Black Manor, Part2

A typical day in Back Manor consisted of having breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner as a family. In the meantime, everyone did whatever it was that pleased them. Druella and Cygnus sat in the drawing room or the sitting room. Narcissa usually kept to herself, in her bedroom, doing school work or something similar. Out of the three Black Sisters, Narcissa was the most studious. They all got top marks, but Narcissa's were always the highest.

Bellatrix liked to spend her spare time with her mother, gossiping and chatting about everything and anything that came up. How her sister could spend so much time with their mother, Andromeda didn't know. She did not doubt, however, that Bella probably just wanted to keep her place as Druella's favorite daughter. Andromeda, on the other hand, did not care about being her mother's favorite, as she obviously wasn't, and did want to lock herself inside the manor. She liked to spend her time in the garden, reading on her favorite bench, or strolling around looking at the flowers. It was a much better place to enjoy the last of the summer weather. Of all of Black Manor, the garden was her favorite place to be.

It was almost noon, but the sun was not quite high enough to peak over the large mansion, so most of the garden was in shadow. Andromeda was walking along the footpath, letting her mind wander as she watched flower heads bob in the breeze. Other than the sound of the leaves rustling and a few birds, it was quiet, and Andromeda liked it that way. Considering that there was no one else out there, she was in quite a good mood. Mainly, since there was no one to distract her, she could think about Ted without interruptions.

Andromeda sent a letter in reply to his the night she received it, but that was three nights ago now, and there was no sign of Polaris at all. Ted's letters almost always came the day after Andromeda sent hers. She was a little worried, because this was out of character for Ted, and there was the possibility that something had happened to Polaris. _I must be overreacting_, Andromeda thought as she touched a rose blossom, _he's just busy_. Ted was the kind of guy who would leave all his school work to be done in the last weeks before term started.

Still, she missed him so much, and she just wanted to hear from him. She was used to seeing him every day, like at Hogwarts. Even after two months of holiday she still woke up every morning with a little more weight in her chest, knowing that she can't see her boyfriend.

Andromeda and Ted were together for six months of the school year, almost completely in secret. Ted's best friends knew, as well as Andromeda's closest friend Ophelia. They were all sworn to secrecy, because if more of the student body found out, the information would spread to Andromeda's sisters. And then, ultimately, to her parents. There was no doubt that the Blacks would forbid their daughter from seeing a Muggleborn. It was hard to keep the secret, especially with Bellatrix around, who liked to be in everyone's business, but now that she had graduated it would be better.

Meeting with Ted in secret was not easy. It was fun at first, exhilarating, going behind her parents' and sisters' backs and breaking the rules. But after a while, it just got annoying, and she wished they didn't have to sneak around just to get time alone together. It started to bother the both of them that they hardly spent any time together outside lessons, and it was a problem that kept coming up in their relationship. They continued to stay strong, however, and Andromeda liked to think they were happier than ever, despite being away from each other for months. She did miss their secret meetings, whether they are in a small alcove on the fifth floor, or the back of the library.

With a small smile, Andromeda remembered the first time she and Ted snuck around in the back of the library. She thought it was an absolutely horrible thing- he did not. He loved the idea. Though she was almost completely against it, there she was anyway, sneaking through the rows of shelves and tables to the back. She peaked around the back, finding Ted sitting by himself at one of the tables. She remembered that his back and yellow tie was undone and hanging around his neck, and the top buttons of his shirt was done. He was a picture of calm, and she probably looked like a nervous wreck.

Ted looked up. "Hey," he said with a grin.

"This is a bad idea," said Andromeda immediately, "This is a public place; someone else could walk back here any second."

"Relax, love," he said as he got up from the table, "it is half past five, and the library closes at six. No one comes back here at this time."

"But what if they-"

Ted approached her, putting his hands on either side of her face as he gently hushed her. "Don't worry so much," he said quietly, "We can hear them coming if that happens."

She was not convinced, and he could tell. He sighed and moved to take her hand, leading her slowly over to the table he had vacated. "I think just sitting here and talking would be nice, don't you?" she said.

Raising his eyebrow, Ted nodded. "Yes," he replied, "But wouldn't you want to do something a bit more fun?"

"I don't know what you mean." said Andromeda stubbornly.

He grinned and grabbed her around the waist, earning a gasp of surprise as he placed her on the table. She watched him carefully as he took her school bag and placed it on the floor next to his. "Are you sure?" said Ted in a low voice, moving to stand in between her knees and place his hands on her hips. Only four months into the relationship, Andromeda was a bit shy about what he was implying at that moment, especially since he was spreading her legs apart slightly, and she was wearing a skirt. He was not shy at all.

"I, er… yes." she said, still watching him as he leaned closer.

Their faces were so close the tips of their noses brushed against each other. He smiled, but said nothing. He closed his eyes and leaned to close the space between them, tightening his grip on her hips. Andromeda didn't protest, kissing him back, and felt the familiar tingling feeling that she got when they kissed. Her worries of being caught were pushed to the back of her mind, and all she thought of was him.

Andromeda sat down heavily on a bench, slouching a bit. One of her favorite memories with Ted was the first time they secretly made out in the library. They never were caught, and left fifteen minutes before the library closed. Madame Pince, though it was only her second year as the librarian, looked a bit suspicious as she watched the two of them leave. Andromeda could still laugh a bit about it now, the look on the woman's face.

In her opinion, it had been way too long now since the last time Ted and Andromeda had properly kissed. On the train ride home, she had to ride with her sisters, but she stole a few moments before they reached King's Cross to tell Ted that she'll miss him and give him a quick peck on the lips. That was only thing they had time for, without arousing suspicion from Bellatrix and Narcissa. It was a very unsatisfying goodbye, but it was the only thing the couple could manage.

She sighed sharply. Why wouldn't he reply to her letter? It was frustrating. She just wanted to hear from him, and rereading old letters wasn't the same.

Shortly before noon, Andromeda went back in the house. She didn't want to think about missing Ted anymore, and it was probably around lunch time anyway. She opened the back door, leading into the kitchen, and heard a squeak of surprise. Surprised herself, she looked down, and saw a house elf rubbing its nose. She must have hit him with the door.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Andromeda, "I didn't see you there." Her parents and Bellatrix were very mean to the elves, but Narcissa and Andromeda did not abuse them. She could tell that they had feelings too and just wanted to make the Blacks happy.

"Do not worry, Mistress Andromeda!" the elf said quickly, "It is Lampy's fault!"

Andromeda sighed. "Be aware of the door next time, okay?" she said. Lampy nodded and bowed as Andromeda walked past. The other elves in the kitchen dropped what they were doing and followed suit until Andromeda had left the room.

She walked down the corridor to the dining room, where her family was gathered at the table. Her mother looked up. "Nice of you to join us, Andromeda." she said.

Andromeda frowned and took her usual seat next to Narcissa, across from her mother at the table. "Did I miss anything?" she asked.

"No," Druella replied, "We were just about to discuss the coming school term."

Andromeda nodded. This was a normal discussion for the Blacks in the last weeks before September 1st, considering the girls – though only two now – needed supplies from Diagon Alley. Cygnus usually sent owls to all the shop keepers for everything they needed, except when new robes needed to be fitted or a wand needed to be purchased. But that hadn't happened since the girls were eleven.

"Have either of you grown out of anything?" asked Druella. Andromeda and Narcissa shook their heads. "Good. That means we'll just need to send owls. You'll do that tomorrow, darling?"

Cygnus, looking bored as usual, didn't even look up from the knot in the wooden table he was staring at. "Of course."

"Brilliant," Druella said and turned to her youngest daughter, "Now, Narcissa, you do remember what your aunt and uncle spoke to you about on Sunday, yes?"

Narcissa looked up from wringing her hands in her lap. "Yes, mother." she replied evenly. Druella looked pleased, and called for the house elves to bring the food in. As the small creatures brought in numerous dishes, Andromeda leaned over to Narcissa.

"Did they talk about what I'm assuming they did?" she said quietly.

The blonde looked over, and her usual cool expression slipped away for just a moment to reveal the nervousness. "You knew?"

"Of course," Andromeda replied, "I was told at your age as well."

"How do they stand it?" Narcissa whispered urgently.

"I don't know, Cissy. It's not like they're brother and sister."

"But they're _cousins_."

Andromeda sighed and looked at her plate of lavish food, pushing a piece of meat with her fork. She remembered when Aunt Walburga and Uncle Orion had told her that, technically, the two of them were related. It had distressed her just as much as it did Narcissa. Her aunt and uncle were both born Blacks, and they were second cousins by blood. Orion explained it as preserving the blood line, that it was important to keep producing pureblooded children within the Black family. This meant that Sirius and Regulus were interbred. Since Andromeda and her sisters were the only children of Druella and Cygnus, it would be possible that one or two of them would have the same kind of marriage that Orion and Walburga had. Andromeda was horrified by that possibility, especially as she thought about it in the present moment.

"There aren't many cousins around that are old enough for you to marry anyway," she said, "Don't worry too much."

Narcissa bit her lip and glanced quickly across the table. Her parents were in conversation, but Bellatrix was watching them.

"But Bella already has a serious relationship," Narcissa said, bringing her voice down even more, "It will have to be one of us."

Andromeda could tell that her sister was very worried about this, so instead of continuing the stress, she grinned slightly. "Uncle Alphard doesn't have any children. Sirius and Regulus are the only cousins left. Are we really going to marry eleven-year-olds?" she said, "All our second cousins are either female or married already."

Narcissa cracked a smile, looking away from Andromeda and to her plate of food. Then she whispered, almost inaudibly, "Except for Aunt Cedrella's kids."

Andromeda's eyes widened a bit, and she quickly glanced up to make sure no one else heard. No one spoke to or of Aunt Cedrella anymore. She was no longer part of the family, as said the scorch mark on the family tree that was Cedrella Black. Or, as it were now, Cedrella Weasley, a bloodtraitor.

"That's not important now." whispered Andromeda, stabbing a piece of meat with her fork.

That night, Andromeda was in her bedroom, brushing out her hair in the mirror. At home, she kept most of it pinned up in an elegant twist, but it was always loose at school. She felt freer that way, and Ted loved to touch her "locks of mahogany" as he called it.

She was just about to tie it back to go to sleep, when there was a light tap on her window. Her heart leaped into her throat, and she jumped up so fast from her vanity that the stool fell over. She threw open her window and in came Polaris, but Andromeda's hopes sank as she realized that his beak was empty.

How could he come back without a response? Ted always sent back a reply.

"Oh, Ted." she sighed, reaching forward to pet Polaris's head.

"Oh, Dromeda." came the low reply.

Andromeda jumped a foot in the air and spun toward her window. There, sitting outside on a broom, was Ted Tonks, grinning crookedly. He looked quite proud of himself, and she must have looked beyond surprised.

"Evening, Princess." he said, still smiling at her through the open window.


	3. Andromeda's Bedroom

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you."

"You could have just owled me back!"

"But isn't this better?"

Andromeda turned away sharply, threading her hands in the hair she had just brushed. She was more than happy to see Ted, of course, but she really wanted him to leave. Having him hovering there outside her window was so dangerous, because either her parents or one of her sisters could decide to show up, or go outside and look up to see him. And she couldn't get caught, especially with a boy like Ted.

"Dromeda, you worry so much," said Ted, leaning over the end of his broom, "I've practiced flying for weeks, just so I could come here and see you."

Andromeda turned around, the corners of her mouth slowly turning up. "You have?" she said.

"Yes," he replied, glancing worriedly at the ground below him. "Are you going to make me leave?" he added, looking back over at her.

She pursed her lips, knowing that she should, but couldn't make herself do it. "No, come in. Carefully!"

Ted grinned widely and reached out to grab the window sill. He tried to pull himself in, but hit the end of his broomstick against the side of the house. Andromeda winced at the noise. "And quietly!" she whispered, her heart speeding up nervously as she glanced towards her bedroom door.

"A little help?" asked Ted, still grinning as he held his hand out for her. She walked over and took his hand, holding him steady as he climbed off the broom and over her window sill. He reached over to pull the broom in, still holding Andromeda's hand. "Thank you."

"Are you mad?" she demanded, "What gave you the idea to do this?"

"You did," he replied, "in your last letter. I said I should just keep Polaris and have him show me how to get to your house, and you said "that would be adorable, and such a nice time" so I came."

Andromeda narrowed her eyes. "I didn't think you would actually _do it!_"

Ted grinned and propped his broom against the wall before moving to take both her hands and pull her closer. "Why wouldn't I?" he said, moving his arms to wrap around her waist. "You're just so…" he lowered his voice, "Tempting."

Andromeda quirked a smile. "Well, I'm happy you think so," she said, "but you really should leave soon. My parents are awake; my sisters could still be awake… and I don't know what they would do if they caught you."

"They won't catch us, love," he said, moving one of his hands through her hair, "They haven't caught us yet, and we haven't exactly been whispering."

Andromeda took a breath. He was always so calm about everything, and she was always so worried, but ended up enjoying the moment anyway. "All right," she sighed, "Come on." She moved to sit down on the window sill, but Ted stood steadfastly.

"What?" she wondered.

Ted pursed his lips and nodded once towards her bed. Andromeda got back to her feet, frowning. "I'm not sure that's a good idea-"

"Just for a bit?" he asked hopefully, squeezing her hand.

Andromeda sighed and let him lead her towards the bed. He seemed beyond happy, and she couldn't help but smile at the look on his face. He let go of her hand and jumped onto the bed, the bedframe protesting the sudden movement noisily.

"Ted!" Andromeda hissed, glancing nervously at her bedroom door again.

Ted fell backwards, his head falling into the cluster of throw pillows. "Do you sleep on all of these?" he asked, his voice muffled.

Andromeda giggled lightly and joined him on the bed, sitting on her knees beside him. "No," she replied, "I take the smaller pillows off, and sleep on only the two larger ones."

There was a beat of silence, and then Ted lifted his head, looking confused. This earned another giggle. "Let me get this straight," he said, "Every night before you can go to sleep, you remove all these pillows except for two? And then you put them all back the next day?"

Andromeda nodded.

"That's ridiculous!" he exclaimed, falling back into the throw pillows.

"Shhh!" she hushed quickly, "It's not ridiculous, it's decorative."

"But what's the point?" Ted continued, "If you're just going to take them off every night, why bother putting them back on the next day? That's a waste of energy."

"I don't put them back," said Andromeda, "The house elves do."

Ted raised himself to his elbows. "Right, elves," he said, "I keep forgetting that you have servants to do everything for you."

Andromeda narrowed her eyes and grabbed one of her pillows, quickly whacking him over the head with it. "Don't make me sound like such a brat!"

Ted laughed, his arm in front of his face to block her blow. "You know, love, when I met you, you were a brat." he said.

Andromeda dropped the pillow next to her, rolling her eyes. "I know." she sighed.

Ted grinned and reached out to grab her, pulling her over to lie on top of him. He moved a strand of hair from her face, saying, "But you're much better now. You've become a lot smarter than your family."

She folded her hands on his chest, resting her chin on them. "Thanks to you." she said.

He shrugged. "I only helped a bit," he said with a smile, "It was mostly you and your intelligence."

Andromeda smiled at him and leaned forward to kiss him quickly on the lips. Ted grinned and grabbed her hips, flipping them over so Andromeda was on her back. "You really are a princess, aren't you?" he said.

She sighed. "Not technically," she said, "But the Blacks pretty much do rule the Wizarding World. My Uncle Orion might as well be the Minister."

Ted had already moved his head to her neck, planting kissed along her throat. "Does that make me a traitor for stealing the princess?" he murmured.

Andromeda closed her eyes, smiling blissfully. "It sure does." she whispered.

Ted hummed against her skin, moving his mouth up towards hers. But suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and both teenagers froze.

"Andromeda?"

"It's Narcissa!" Andromeda whispered urgently and sat up, Ted falling on the bed limply beside her. "You have to go!"

"Go where?" he whispered.

She looked around quickly. "Under the bed." she jumped up and grabbed his broom from beside the window, rolling it under her bed.

"Under _where_?"

"Andromeda, are you awake?" Narcissa continued from behind the door, "Can I come in?"

"One moment!" she called and turned to Ted. "The bed! Quickly!" she whispered and went for the door.

Ted made a face, but got off the bed and crawled underneath anyway. Once he was out of the light, Andromeda opened the door. Her younger sister stood there, wringing her hands and looking worried. Andromeda's words of telling her to go away died in her mouth.

"What is it?" she said.

Narcissa sighed and walked in, moving to stand in the middle of the room. "I'm overwhelmed, Andromeda," she said, "I'm fifteen. Mum and dad are already talking about marriage! I haven't even taken O.W.L.'s yet!"

Andromeda approached her sister and touched her blonde hair soothingly. "I know, Cissy." she said.

"I hate to bother you with this, but Bella won't understand, and I just need to ask someone who has been through this before." said Narcissa, looking up.

"It's all right," said Andromeda.

"What do I do?"

Andromeda sighed. Narcissa moved to sit on the bed, and Ted quickly flashed back into Andromeda's mind. "No!" she cried.

Narcissa paused. "What?" she said.

Pursing her lips, Andromeda shook her head and went to sit next to her sister. "Nothing," she said, "Er, go on."

Narcissa sat and put her head in her hands. "You know," Andromeda continued, "I know they're talking about marriage now, but you won't be married for years. You're not even of age yet." Narcissa picked her head up. "I'm not even betrothed yet, and I've been seventeen for months. And look at Bellatrix, she's nineteen!"

"You and I both know that she's mum and dad's favorite, and that they would never force her to get married, because she can do whatever she wants." said Narcissa coldly, though not directed towards Andromeda. "Plus, she and Rodolfus have a serious relationship now; it's no doubt that they'll end up getting married."

Andromeda sighed. "That's not the point, Cissy," she said, "The point is that they're just trying to prepare you for the future, and you will not have to worry about it for quite a while. So you just go to school, and get O's on all your O.W.L.'s, all right?"

Narcissa nodded, obviously still worried but satisfied with Andromeda's advice. "Thank you for your help," she said, "I won't think too hard about it."

She stood and so did Andromeda, who was relieved it looked like Narcissa was leaving. It was a feat that Ted hadn't made any noise to give himself away yet, and the less time there was to do such, the better.

"Anytime." said Andromeda with smile. Narcissa smiled back and threw her arms around her sister, who was a bit surprised by the intimate action. It wasn't often that any of her sisters showed affection for each other, period, let alone physically.

"Goodnight, Narcissa." said Andromeda, hugging her back.

"Goodnight." she said and detached herself. She gave a small smile and headed for the door, shutting it behind her. Andromeda let out a breath of relief.

She felt something touch her ankle. "Is it safe to come out?" Ted whispered. She looked down to see his hand sticking out, his finger repeatedly poking her ankle. She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, you can come out now." she said and sat back down on the bed. Ted pulled himself out and stood.

"It was surprisingly clean under there." he said, straightening his shirt.

Andromeda smiled. "Everything is clean in my bedroom," she said, "I hate messes."

Ted sat on the bed next to her. "Yes, I know." he said. He took her hand. "Though, your family is kind of messed up."

"Don't I know," she said, "We're introduced to the idea of arranged marriage as soon as our mother and father seem fit. And for Narcissa, that was a few days ago. She's been worrying about it ever since, as you can tell."

"You're very calm about, I see."

Andromeda nodded. "That was a while ago for me," she said, "I've gotten over it. Like I said, I've been seventeen for months, and no one had mentioned anything to me about an arranged marriage."

"Good," said Ted with a grin, "Because you're mine."

She grinned in agreement. "Absolutely."

Bringing it to his lips, Ted kissed the back of her hand. Then he put his arms around her. "Now, where were we?"

Andromeda giggled as he pulled her over onto her back. He climbed over so he was hovering above her. He looked at her for a few moments. "I love you, Andromeda." he said, brushing his fingers over her cheek.

"I love you too." she replied softly. He leaned down to capture her mouth, while put her hands on the back of his head to hold him close. Once they pulled apart, Andromeda smiled, but that soon turned into a yawn.

"Are you tired?" he whispered.

Andromeda shook her head defiantly, but Ted got up anyway. She rose to her elbows. "What are you doing?" she asked as he grabbed the first pillow.

"Tucking you in." he replied, putting the pillow on the floor. She smiled as he went around to all her throw pillows, putting them in a pile next to the bed. It was a bit less organized than the way Andromeda would have done it, but it was adorable nonetheless. Then he pulled back the covers, pushing them away just enough for her to fit. He patted the empty space.

Andromeda moved so that she could slide underneath the blankets, and Ted started to pull them up. "Wait," she said, "You have to join me."

"As you wish, Princess." he said as she moved over, giving him room to slide in next to her. She cuddled up to him, tucking her head under his chin and breathing in, taking a large breath of his scent. She was completely surrounded by him only, and she loved it.

He planted a long kiss on her forehead and hugged her close to him. "Go to sleep, love." he whispered, running his hand over her hair. She closed her eyes, trying to embed the feeling of being so close to him into her memory.

The next thing Andromeda knew was that there was light leaking through the crack in between the curtains on her bed, falling right onto her eyes. Another thing she realized was that she was alone. She sat up quickly.

"Ted?" she said, getting out of bed and opening her curtains. She looked around. Her room was completely empty, save for herself and Polaris, asleep on her desk. She walked over and touched the owl's feathers, and noticed a folded piece of parchment with her name on it sitting next to his perch. She recognized Ted's writing immediately, and unfolded it.

_My Lovely Andromeda,_

_ I loved spending time with you last night; it was on my list of favorite evenings. Unfortunately, with the risk of your parents catching us and the risk of my parents realizing I was gone, I left after you fell asleep. You're so adorable when you sleep._

_ I look forward to when I'll see you again, and wish you luck with all your family affairs. Really, I even had fun hiding under your bed. _

_ All my love,  
Ted_

Andromeda sighed, realizing the feeling of longing was setting back in. At least she got some time alone with Ted, if only for a short while. At least, she thought as she put the letter in a drawer of her desk with the other ones, they'll be able to spend time together in school.

Later that morning, after she had bathed and showered, Andromeda was sitting at her vanity brushing through her hair, when there was a knock on her door.

"Come in." she said, putting down her brush.

Looking at the reflection in the mirror, she watched the door open and Bellatrix walk in. "Morning, Bella." said Andromeda.

Bellatrix walked over and took her sister's brush. "Do you mind, little sister?" she said. Furrowing her eye brows, she shook her head. Bellatrix started brushing out Andromeda's hair, as she watched her older sister closely in the mirror.

Considering any act of kindness was odd for Bellatrix, Andromeda knew she wanted something. "What's on your mind?" she asked.

Bellatrix grinned a bit. "I can't just spend some quality time with my sister?" she said.

"You could," said Andromeda, "But you don't."

Bellatrix pulled a bit on Andromeda's hair, earning a glare. "You're right, Andie," she said, "I don't, but you should spend some quality time with me." She reached over to get some hair pins, taking sections of her sister's hair. "Rather than others."

"Rather than whom?" said Andromeda, narrowing her eyes suspiciously and watching her sister in the mirror.

Bellatrix leaned closer to Andromeda's ear. "I don't know who you had here last night, Andromeda," she whispered, "But I know it was a boy. I don't know who it was, so I won't tell mum and dad." Bellatrix looked quite pleased with herself, while Andromeda's face remained hard and expressionless. "But let me tell you, if you're doing something improper, you will never hear the end of it," she hissed, "And all you'll be is a scorch mark on the family tree. Just like Aunt Cedrella."

Bellatrix put one last pin into Andromeda's hair and smirked at her sister through the mirror. "You have such lovely hair, Andie." she said and left the room. Andromeda's face fell as soon as Bellatrix left the room. She could be in some real trouble.


	4. The Hogwarts Express

The last time anyone saw Cedrella Black was when Andromeda was only eight years old. Of course, no one knew that the visit would be the last one, as it was as ordinary as every other time. To keep up the image of being a happy family, the Blacks had to visit their distant cousins at least once every couple months. And on a blistery day in October, it was Cedrella's turn.

For most of the family, a visit to Cedrella's was like any other. They would sit in the drawing room, have tea, a polite conversation, and be on their way. But not for Andromeda. She loved visiting Aunt Cedrella, because she was so unlike the rest of the women in her family. Cedrella was compassionate, funny, and seemed to have a soft spot for Andromeda. While her sisters sat there and yawned, she hung on every word her aunt said, hoping to catch something so Andromeda that would grow up to be just like her. Cedrella was without a doubt her favorite aunt, and she was more than excited every time she went to visit her.

Cedrella lived in a large black house in Ireland. Usually in a family like the Blacks, a daughter would live her family until she was married and then live in her husband's manor, but Cedrella insisted she move out a year after she graduated from Hogwarts, so she could focus on her studies to become an Obliviator. Since money was no issue, and she was used to living in style, Cedrella bought a home on the coast of Ireland on her own. That was another thing that surprised her parents, the fact that she lived completely alone, with no house elves or servants of any kind. Cedrella replied with, why have a servant if she can clean up after herself?

Even though the house was black, Andromeda thought her aunt's home was so much warmer than her own. As soon as Cedrella had answered the door to let the family in from the wind, Andromeda felt immediately safer and at home. The curtains were drawn to let the light in, an orange fire was glowing in the fireplace, and all the floors had soft carpets on them. Even the furniture looked kind and inviting.

Andromeda sat with Narcissa on a loveseat, admiring the drawing room they had been shown into, even though they had been in there before. Her parents and Bellatrix sat on a nearby sofa, while Druella's critical eye surveyed the room, as usual.

"I cannot believe she lived completely on her own," she said in a hushed tone, "Without a servant or anything. Isn't that peculiar, darling?" If Andromeda ever heard her mother call her father "darling" in the present, she would probably faint.

"Quite. She's not the first Black to want to be independent, though. Sooner or later, they all go crawling back to mummy and daddy's money." said Cygnus just as quietly, picking a thread on the arm of the sofa.

"But Aunt Cedrella is nineteen now," said Bellatrix, not bothering to keep her voice down, "Won't she have her own money?"

"Quiet, Bellatrix." Druella snapped.

Cygnus folded his hands in his lap. "It does take weeks to have a house elf," he said, "Perhaps she has one coming."

Druella turned away and put her nose in the air. "Where is that tea?"

Andromeda made a sour face, but quickly dropped it when Narcissa elbowed her in the side. At eight years old, Andromeda had not yet acquired a taste for tea, so she thought it was disgusting. She hated drinking it, but her mother enforced that not drinking it was rude and she would just have to suck it up, because she'll be drinking tea for the rest of her life.

Soon, Cedrella returned, a tray of steaming tea cups following on its own accord. She handed Cygnus a cup, and continued down the line until she got to Andromeda. Cedrella put on a different sort of smile for that particular niece as she handed her the tea cup. Being only eight, Andromeda wasn't sure what the smile meant, but she knew it was different.

Andromeda stared down at the brown liquid, dreading having to drink it. She sighed and brought the cup to her lips, simultaneously bracing herself, but tasted not the bitterness of tea, but the warm sweetness of chocolate. She smiled in happiness and surprise and looked over at her aunt. Cedrella met her eyes with another smile and a quick wink. How she found out, Andromeda never found out, but her aunt knew that she hated tea and didn't make her drink it. She knew Cedrella was her favorite for a reason.

However, no one knew at that point that Aunt Cedrella was pregnant, not even Cedrella herself. It wasn't until a month later that the news got out to the family, along with the news that she had accepted a marriage proposal from a well-known bloodtraitor, Septimus Weasley. Apparently, the two had secretly been together behind their parent's backs for years. The child she was carrying was quite obviously his as there was no one else in her house, nor had she been betrothed. Early in the engagement, Cedrella's parents implored her to give up Septimus and the baby, but she vehemently refused. The two were married that spring, and a little boy was born the next winter. Andromeda was not present when Cedrella Black, turned Cedrella Weasley, was burned off the Black Family Tree. All she knew was that the next time she visited Uncle Orion and Aunt Walburga; there was a new scorch mark on the wall.

Andromeda did not exactly catch onto the situation until she started going to Hogwarts, where she met a little ginger boy with glasses named Weasley, whom Bellatrix made her swear to stay away from. And being only eleven, she promised, and never spoke to the ginger boy again. They were in the same year, but he was in Gryffindor, and she a Slytherin. After a while, she forgot about him. Until the very moment she stood on Platform 9 ¾ before her seventh year, watching a tall ginger boy in ragged clothes and glasses helping a smaller ginger boy onto the Hogwarts express, undoubtedly his younger brother.

Every year, the Blacks saw Arthur and Bilius Weasley on the platform, and sometimes their older brothers, but they always seemed to miss Cedrella and Septimus. Her parents blissfully ignored the Weasley boys. She hadn't thought about it at all until after Bellatrix left her room the morning after Ted visited her, but Andromeda missed seeing Aunt Cedrella, missed her warmth and kindness. Absently, she thought that Cedrella and Ted would get along quite nicely.

"Andromeda, are you listening?" snapped her mother, bringing Andromeda out of her thoughts. She whipped her head away from where she saw the Weasleys and looked at Druella. "I will say it again. The both of you are coming home for Christmas, because we're already starting to plan a gala. Do make sure little Sirius gets on the train home as well, who knows how well he listened to his parents."

"Yes, mother." replied Andromeda and Narcissa simultaneously.

"Have a good term." piped Bellatrix from where she was leaning on a post, Rodolfus Lestrange close beside her. That morning before they went to King's Cross was the first time Andromeda and Narcissa ever met their sister's boyfriend. Andromeda did not like him, and by the look Narcissa gave him whenever he spoke, it looked like she didn't like him either.

"Thanks." replied Andromeda tersely.

"Now, go on, or you'll miss the train." said Cygnus as the conductor's whistle blew. Without any hug or goodbyes, the two sisters headed for the train, boarding the nearest car.

Dragging their trunks along behind them, the girls looked for an empty compartment. "Why don't we ever get here earlier?" asked Narcissa impatiently.

Andromeda shrugged. "I don't know." she replied. Looking down the corridor, she watched as a girl with honey blonde curls walked quickly their way, a girl Andromeda recognized as her best friend, Ophelia Nott.

"Welcome back, Ophelia," she said as the other girl got close enough, "How was France?"

"Lovely, I'll tell you all about it later," she replied, "Nice to see you. Hello, Narcissa."

"Hello." replied the youngest.

"Come on, I've got a compartment." said Ophelia and led the way down the corridor.

As the girls were putting their trunks in the overhead racks, Andromeda was suddenly struck with something. "Oh no, Sirius!" she said, "I was supposed to meet him in the front car! He's probably terrified; it's only his first year."

Narcissa shook her head. "He's an outgoing boy, he's probably got six friends by now." she said.

"Isn't he the cousin that set the garden on fire?" said Ophelia.

"Yes, but he was only nine!" Andromeda defended and moved towards the door, "I'll be right back, alright?"

Narcissa sat on the bench across from Ophelia. "See if you can't pick up some sweets on your way back, yeah?" she said. Andromeda rolled her eyes and left.

As she continued down the corridor, she secretly hoped she'd run into Ted. Just the thought of him being on the train made her heart pump faster, as he was so close but still untouchable. Considering their relationship was almost completely a secret, there was no way they could hug or kiss with other students around. Even if they passed and she could just brush her arm against his and get a look at his face, she'd be happy.

What she did encounter, on the other hand, was something that made her the opposite of happy. An arm slide out in front of her, and soon a whole body blocked her from moving any further. She closed her eyes in annoyance. "Move." she said patiently.

"So demanding. Aren't you even going to say hello?"

"No," said Andromeda shortly, "Get out of my way."

Lucius Malfoy smirked and leaned his body closer. Andromeda shrunk away. "Maybe if you said please, I would move. But you're just too proud, aren't you, Miss Black?"

"I just really don't like you," she replied with a sour smile, "Bugger off, Malfoy."

"That's hurtful, Andromeda," he said, making to touch her chin. She smacked his hand away. "Can't we make a new start this year?"

"Absolutely not. After years of this, haven't you noticed that your incessant badgering is getting you nowhere?" said Andromeda, "Give up, and get out of my way. I have to find my cousin."

Lucius moved aside, still grinning, and let her walk past. She narrowed her eyes and continued on. "What else do you need, Andromeda?" he said, following her.

"If you haven't noticed, I don't date younger boys." she said.

Lucius frowned at being called a boy. "I'm only a year younger than you, and if you haven't noticed, I'm much bigger than you are." he said.

"Bugger _off_, Malfoy!" she snapped just as she crossed into another car, and slammed the door on him. Merlin, she hated him. She didn't know if he actually had a thing for her, or if he was just liked chasing her around to annoy her. It's been three years now.

She easily passed through the car and into the next, which if she counted correctly, was the first before the engine. She looked in the compartments until she found Sirius, sitting with a blonde boy. She stood in the open doorway, softly knocking on the window. Sirius looked up and grinned brightly.

"Dromeda!" he said, "I'm happy you're here."

"I'm sorry I didn't come earlier." she said with a smile. She looked at the other boy, whose feet weren't even touching the floor as he sat on the bench. "Who's this?"

"Oh, this is Peter," said Sirius, "I found him sitting by himself, so it looked like he needed a friend. Peter, this is my favorite cousin, Andromeda." She should have known that Sirius would have been able to make out on his own, that he would be a natural at making friends.

"Hello." said Peter quietly. Andromeda smiled politely, but she was unsure about this kid. He seemed a little too small and meek to be Sirius's friend.

"Well," she continued, "I just came to make sure that you were alright, and it seems that you are. So, I'll just leave you two, then."

"I'll see you at school!" he said excitedly. Andromeda grinned and waved, before walking away.

As she started to head back in the direction of her compartment, she was glad that Sirius was coming to Hogwarts instead of staying at home. He and Regulus were always fighting, and he was always in trouble with his parents. Now, she was sure that Regulus loved being home without his brother. Andromeda, though, was excited that she had the possibility of seeing Sirius every day. He was her favorite cousin.

Shortly after changing cars, Andromeda ran into the sweet trolley. Pulling a couple Galleons out of the pocket in her skirt, she bought some sweets for herself, Narcissa, and Ophelia.

"Two Chocolate Frogs, please."

Andromeda stopped. She knew that voice better than any other. Ted Tonks and a couple of his friends had walked up behind the trolley witch with some Sickles, and she was not surprised that they wanted to stock up on sweets.

Ted looked up as the witch got his candy, locking eyes with Andromeda. One of the corners of his mouth turned up, giving her a small grin of recognition. "'Morning, Miss Black." he said politely.

"Good morning." Andromeda replied easily. After not seeing him for weeks, she wanted nothing more than to jump on him with a hug, but with all the other students around she couldn't. Her life would be so much easier if she could just show everyone how much she loved him without sneaking around.

"I'll see you in school." said Ted before turning away with his friends.

Andromeda sighed and headed towards her compartment, carrying her sweets in one arm. She had been very excited for term to start so that she could see Ted every day, but she almost forgot how difficult it was to see him without being able to be close to him. This was going to be another hard year.


	5. The Great Hall

Not only did Andromeda see Ted twice more while she left the compartment on her own, but he kept walking by as she sat with Ophelia and Narcissa, a couple times every couple hours. She knew he was just doing it to see her, even for short bursts, but it was driving her mad. He was so close to her, and completely untouchable.

Throughout the ride, Narcissa popped in and out, sometimes with some friends, and sometimes by herself. Ophelia seemed to be the only one without any preoccupations. She sat stretched out on the bench by herself for some hours, one school book propped open in her lap and another in her hands. Sometimes she switched books.

At one point, when Narcissa was absent from the compartment, Ophelia set down her book. "Does he think he no one else is going to notice that he keeps walking by?" she said to Andromeda.

Andromeda turned from looking out the window. Though she knew exactly who her friends was talking about, she said, "Who?"

"Ted," said Ophelia, rolling her eyes, "I know that you haven't missed a single time he's passed the door. It's a good thing that I know about your whole relationship situation, or I would be very suspicious."

Andromeda sighed. "It's the best we can do, Ophelia," she said, "How would you feel if you weren't allowed to even look at your boyfriend in public?"

"I would not be happy. I know you're not happy now." she said with a frown.

Andromeda knew where she was going with this. Ophelia was her best friend, and she was very smart and supportive, but she always asked the same thing when Andromeda was having a tough time with the secret relationship.

"Is it worth it?" she continued.

"Of course it is, and I tell you this all the time. I would be much more unhappy without Ted, and every time we have to ignore each other is made up for the next time we're together." said Andromeda, "It's only one more year, and then I can do whatever I want."

"You know that's not true."

She frowned. Ophelia was right. Both girls came from Pureblood families, so Ophelia knew exactly what happened when a daughter was out of school and unmarried. Andromeda knew that she hadn't figured out what she was going to do after she graduated, especially with Ted. She wanted to talk about it with him, eventually.

"I'm still figuring it out."

"You have ten months."

That was the end of the conversation. It always was. And every time, Ophelia's "you have…" statement gets shorter.

When the train finally arrived at Hogsmeade Station, Andromeda's knees hurt from sitting for hours. She was also starving, and couldn't wait to get to the Great Hall for the welcome feast. She and Ophelia stepped off the train together, as Narcissa had went ahead to help shunt first years in the right direction, since she had been made a Prefect. Andromeda was happy for her sister, but also bitter, because she was the only one of her sisters not to be a Prefect. Bellatrix was an awful Prefect, and almost got sacked a few times, but nonetheless had the authority.

Andromeda craned her neck to see over the other students, many of them taller than her, to see if she could spot Sirius. The group of first years was growing rapidly as they all caught on to meet at the boats. She wasn't surprised to spot Sirius's head of wavy hair right at the edge, by the water. The little blond boy, Peter, was next to him and appeared to be much smaller. She only had to time to look for a few moments, however, before Ophelia tugged on her arm so that they could make it to the carriages. The two girls sat on one bench, while a few other unfamiliar students climbed in until it was full. Andromeda and Ophelia kept to themselves, as Slytherins usually did.

On the ride to the Hogwarts front gates, Ophelia talked about her summer spent in France. She told Andromeda that her family's villa is right on the coast by the ocean, with not a neighbor in sight. Andromeda watched her friend speak with an interested expression, but did not hear a word she was saying. Instead she thought of Ted. The closer they got to the castle, the more excited she became.

Hufflepuff and Slytherin both had common room entrances on the lowest floor of Hogwarts, so it was quite easy for the couple to say goodnight before they went to their respective Houses. There were plenty of places that no one would even think to look at, and as long as they weren't gone for too long, no one would notice. They would think the two of them just got lost in the crowd from the Great Hall.

"It was so hot, and mother wouldn't let me take off my robes, she said it was "improper" and I just wanted to hex her…" Ophelia was saying, but then Andromeda zoned out again.

It seemed to take longer than usual to arrive at the castle, but the carriage finally rattled to a stop, and all its occupants climbed out. Ophelia was still talking as the two of them climbed the stone steps into the Entrance Hall. Andromeda smiled as she looked around. Hogwarts. Now this was home.

Upon entering the Great Hall, and taking in the four House tables, she was struck with a sudden, distressing thought. Sirius's Sorting. Every single Black, ever, has been a Slytherin. It's the legacy, the correct way. But Sirius is so different from everyone else, with such a disregard for the rules. Honestly, Andromeda thought to herself, she had no definite idea what House her favorite cousin would be in.

Andromeda and Ophelia took seats at the Slytherin table, and they were soon joined by Narcissa and a couple of her friends. She leaned over to her sister. "Sirius looked very excited," she muttered, "He kept telling the boy next to him to stop looking so sick."

Andromeda smiled at Narcissa, happy she had watched for Sirius for her. Her sisters were well aware about her special relationship with him.

"Let's go," said Ophelia, bored, "I'm hungry."

Andromeda raised one eyebrow and rolled her eyes, looking across the hall. Past the Gryffindor table was the Hufflepuff table, where Ted was, somewhere. She scanned the row of heads, trying to spot his sandy hair, but instead she caught his eyes, bright and blue, staring right at her. She was a little surprised, and it must have shown, because his shoulders shook briefly in a small chuckle.

Then the doors opened, and in came the first years, the awe obvious on their faces. It always entertained Andromeda with how mystified they seemed, but she always seemed to pick out the Muggleborns, who looked awe-struck but also terrified. And there was Sirius, still with Peter, but now there was another boy with them. He had hair darker than Bellatrix's, and it was sticking up all over. He wore glasses. He was quite adorable, Andromeda thought.

Professor McGonagall gave her speech to the first years, and placed the Sorting Hat on the stool so it could sing its yearly song. Once its rip of a mouth started to produce sound, Ophelia groaned.

"Why does this happen?" she muttered.

Andromeda smirked. "It has to prove its intelligence somehow." she whispered back. They snickered silently.

Once the song was over, McGonagall called the first name. Ophelia folded her arms on the table and rested her head on them. "Let me know when the food comes." she said. Andromeda rolled her eyes and patted Ophelia's arm. She usually thought the Sorting was quite boring, but this year Sirius was there, and his last name started with a B, so he would be one of the first ones.

"Arnold, Genevieve!"

A little ginger girl hopped onto the stool. The Hat called out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Andromeda looked over at the Hufflepuffs, whistling and clapping for their newest member. She watched as Ted grinned at the girl, clapping his hands together before settling down for the next one.

Arlene, William. _Ravenclaw_. Atkins, Melinda. _Ravenclaw_. Bates, Andrew. _Slytherin_. Andromeda clapped politely, her heart fluttering with excitement and nervousness. Why were there so many people before Sirius?

"Black, Sirius!"

Both Andromeda and Narcissa perked up. Sirius walked forward, looking confident and cheerful as always, and if he was nervous at all, no one would know. Andromeda noticed that her Housemates whispered to one another, glanced over at the Black sisters. No doubt, they thought him another addition to Slytherin House. The legacy of the Blacks being Slytherins was no secret.

The Sorting Hat had been sitting atop Sirius's head for over two minutes now. Two long, nervous minutes, while everyone else watched. Then, the Hat opened its rip of a mouth.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

It was like time stopped. Narcissa grabbed Andromeda's wrist. Ophelia's head snapped back up. Sirius was no longer smiling as the Hat disappeared from his head. In fact, he looked quite pale. He knew that this was wrong. Blacks were _Slytherins_. Gryffindor was the House rival, the worst one to be Sorted into otherwise. What would his parents say? What would the rest of the family say?

In slow motion, it seemed, Sirius got off the stool and headed for the Gryffindor table. Low clapping and hollering could be heard from the other Gryffindors. They obviously did not understand the situation.

Sirius looked over, locking eyes with Andromeda. He looked scared, and very unlike himself. Andromeda didn't know what to do, how to comfort him from so far away. All she could do was wipe away her expression and give him a small nod. Sirius looked away and sat at the end of the Gryffindor table.

"Andromeda," whispered Narcissa, still gripping her sister's wrist, "This might be a bit of a problem."

"I bet Christmas will be fun." muttered Ophelia.

Andromeda held back giving her an annoyed look and took her hand away from Narcissa. This was the last thing Sirius needed, another reason for the family to look down on him. _A Gryffindor_.

When she looked back over towards her cousin, she noticed that one of the older students had materialized next to him. She recognized him. It was Arthur Weasley, talking to her cousin, who looked considerably less pale. Andromeda felt a sudden rush of anger and protectiveness. What gave _him_ the right to make Sirius feel better?

"Darcy, Nathanial!" _Gryffindor_.

That was _her_ job.

"Evans, Lily!" _Another Gryffindor_.

He wasn't even part of the family, that bloodtraitor-

She stopped herself and pinched the bridge of her nose, looking away and down at the table. That was an awful thing to say, or think. Arthur was only trying to make a new Housemate feel at home. It had nothing to do with her family, or his family's status.

Andromeda sighed and closed her eyes. But they _were_ family. By blood, and that was it.

Sitting through the rest of the Sorting without getting up and leaving was a real feat. Andromeda now had a headache, and no one at the entire Slytherin table seemed to want to chat. The only sound they made was when someone was put into Slytherin, and even that was only a small amount of clapping.

"It can't be fun to be the last kids standing there." said Ophelia quietly.

There were only about ten first years left to be Sorted. Sirius's friend Peter was next.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

_Good for Sirius_, thought Andromeda, _he'll have a friend_.

"Potter, James!"

It was the kid with the glasses that Sirius had walked in with. She would bet anything that he would be a-

"GRYFFINDOR!"

_I knew it_.

"Snape, Severus!"

Andromeda watched as Snape, Severus sat on the stool for only a few seconds, before the Hat cried, "SLYTHERIN!"

She clapped along with the rest of her House, while the boy slunk over to their table. She couldn't help but notice that he looked noticeably disappointed.

After a few more Sortings, it was over, and the Welcome Feast began. Andromeda, Narcissa, and Ophelia did not talk much as they ate. Andromeda supposed they were all still in shock over Sirius. She wished it wasn't such a big deal, but for Sirius's parents, it would be. No Black had ever been in any other House other than Slytherin before.

Andromeda's eyes unconsciously slipped to the Gryffindor table, where Sirius was now eating happily next to Arthur Weasley and the boy called James Potter. She stared at Arthur. Technically, he was a Black, and he was a Gryffindor. She bet his parents, even Cedrella had been happy for him when he was eleven.

The feast seemed to drag on while Andromeda was silent. Only when she started pushing around the remains of a scoop of pudding did the Headmaster finally stand up and tell everyone good night. Narcissa disappeared immediately, to avoid talking and for her Prefect duties, so Ophelia and Andromeda started heading towards the Entrance Hall.

Then she stopped. _Ted_. She had to find him.

"Ophelia, I-" Andromeda began, but the other girl put up a hand.

"Go on, I'll cover for you." she said. Andromeda smiled brightly and headed towards the edge of the crowd, slipping between other students as they walked slowly from inside the Great Hall. On the right side of the Grand Staircase was a door to some stairs, which was one of the smaller passageways towards the entrance to Hufflepuff Basement. Hopefully, she'll run into Ted before she makes it to the door.

Then she saw him slip into the groove between a pillar and the wall, and she knew he was waiting for her. Quickly she slipped out of the crowd and around the pillar, coming face-to-face with Ted.

"Hi." she said quietly.

Ted grinned and moved a piece of hair from her face. "Hi yourself, princess," he said, "You seem distressed."

"I am."

"Because of Sirius?"

"Yes!" Andromeda breathed, "I'm worried for him! Now that he's been put in a different House, I won't be able to keep a close eye on him, and his parents will go through the roof."

"I think they'll get over it. He's only eleven; they can't kick him out or anything. Plus, Gryffindor is a very rambunctious House, so he'll feel right at home." said Ted.

Andromeda nodded, but looked away. It was true, with Sirius's personality, he would be very happy to have all those Gryffindors as Housemates. They could all disregard the rules together. She supposed she was just be selfish- she had been looking forward to seeing Sirius around her common room, being able to help him with spells, and just being a mother figure to him while he was so far from home.

Then again, Sirius doesn't really have a mother figure at home, either.

"Hey." Ted put his finger under Andromeda's chin and lifted her face towards his. "Everything will be alright."

She smiled and touched his hand. "You're right," she said, "What would I do without you?"

Ted only smiled and angled his head so he could kiss her, cradling her face. Andromeda's heart fluttered as she responded, all her worries disappearing.

He pulled away first, and she pouted. He chuckled. "Goodnight, love," he said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Ted," Andromeda replied, "I love you."

"I love you too."

**AN: Follow my new author account on Twitter, _AprilFlowers96, for updates and things! Link is on my profile. Thanks for reading!**


	6. Lessons

The following morning, all the students bustled from their common rooms to the Great Hall for breakfast. The first day of classes was always the most interesting and entertaining day in Hogwarts. First years scrambled around the castle to try and find their lessons, while older students just watched in amusement. Andromeda almost wished that she'll find her first hour free so she can sit by the courtyard and watch.

Andromeda and Ophelia sat together at breakfast as always, chatting quietly until Narcissa joined them. She sat in a huff, sighing deeply.

"What's wrong, Cissy?" Andromeda asked, noticing her sister's bad mood.

"Just my patrol," she said, reaching for a piece of toast, "I have to patrol tonight at nine o'clock. Nine! It's like the new Head Girl –a Hufflepuff, mind you- is trying to kill me! How can she give me such a late hour patrol after the first day?"

She suddenly ripped the piece if toast in half and dipped one end into a jar of marmalade. Andromeda raised her eyebrow and restrained herself from rolling her eyes. It was times like these when she was reminded that she and her sisters really were raised to be spoiled brats.

It wasn't long before Andromeda looked up to see Professor Slughorn, head of Slytherin House, bustling around and struggling with time tables. Though he was quite disorganized, she knew that seventh years got theirs first. Since she was at the beginning of the alphabet, she would be one of the first ones to receive hers. She liked not having to wait.

Slughorn hurried down the aisle between the Slytherin table and the wall, looking over his students to see which student belonged to which name. His eyes fell on Andromeda, and he quickly shuffled through the stack of parchment papers in his hand, before he found the right one. "Black, Andromeda! Here we go!" he said. He handed her the paper and then turned to Narcissa. "Yours will be around momentarily, Miss Black." He continued on his way, and Narcissa sighed.

"If only we had a Head of House like McGonagall," said Ophelia, "Maybe it wouldn't take an hour for everyone to get their time tables."

Andromeda's eyes lifted to the Gryffindor table, where Professor McGonagall was handing out time tables in a quick and orderly fashion. He eyes didn't linger for long, though, because she didn't want to see Sirius, or have to connect eyes with him.

"Without Slughorn, though, there wouldn't be dinner parties with the best ice cream in the world." said Narcissa before popping a grape in her mouth.

"I think we could all live without the best ice cream in the world." said Andromeda.

"At least you get some," said Ophelia, pouting, "I'm not even in the Slug Club."

It wasn't much later when Professor McGonagall approached the Slytherin table, and stood right next to Andromeda. "Miss Black," she said, "May I have a word?"

"Ooooh." Ophelia snickered.

Andromeda narrowed her eyes at her friend and then followed her professor to the back of the hall. McGonagall folded her hands behind her back. "You are aware that you do exceedingly well in my class, Miss Black?" she began.

Andromeda couldn't help but smile. "Yes, professor." she replied.

"Well, because you seem to have quite a gift for Transfiguration, I'd like to offer you an opportunity to sit in one of my classes, at least once a week," McGonagall continued, "That way you can help some of the younger students. You won't be graded, but I will give you some extra credit."

"So, I would be like a teaching assistant?" asked Andromeda.

"Something like that."

"I would love to, professor," she said with a grin.

"Lovely," said McGonagall, "When do you have free time?"

Andromeda thought back to her schedule. "I believe my second hour class is free."

"Perfect, I have first years. I will see you there, on time, Miss Black." McGonagall nodded and swept away, leaving Andromeda by herself. Honestly, she had no idea what she was going to do after Hogwarts, since usually pureblooded ladies didn't do anything, or weren't supposed to. They stayed at home and had more pureblooded children, and raised them until they could do the same. But if she didn't get married – she couldn't imagine the prospect of getting married, not now – she should decide what she was going to do with her life.

Maybe she'll be a Transfiguration professor.

In a considerably happier mood, Andromeda headed back to her table.

The first lesson on Andromeda's schedule was Arithmancy. She wasn't sure how great she was going to be able to complete mathematical problems first thing in the morning, but she was going to try. She climbed all the way to the seventh floor before class began, but hesitated a bit at the door. Aside from a mousy girl in the front row, the room was filled with boys.

Andromeda couldn't believe it. This was the only seventh year Arithmancy class? What happened to all the girls in her House that were in it last year?

As she contemplated leaving the room and going to Slughorn to drop the class from the schedule, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Glancing up, she noticed it was Professor Levitt, standing behind her. "Why don't you take a seat, Miss Black?" he said quietly.

Andromeda nodded quickly and thought on her feet, sitting in the first open spot she saw- the one next to the only girl in the classroom. She was pushing around a piece of paper with the edge of her quill, while some of it was caught in the end of her slightly frizzy hair. Andromeda thought hard, for she knew she recognized the girl. She must have had lessons with her in years past, but she just couldn't think of her name.

As Andromeda unpacked her things, the girl looked up and seemed surprised that she had appeared. "Andromeda Black," she began, "I didn't know you were in this class."

Andromeda glanced over for a moment, and then dropped her bag on the floor. The girl jumped slightly. "Here I am." she replied.

"I thought it would be just me and…" she turned to glance at the hoard of boys behind them, "Them."

"It's ridiculous," said Andromeda haughtily, "I thought for sure Hogwarts had more intelligent witches."

The girl shrunk a bit, and went back to pushing the paper around. Professor Levitt had gotten his roll sheet out. Andromeda looked at the girl for a few moments, a guilty feeling rising in her. She sighed. "I'm sorry, that was kind of catty," she said quietly, "I'm working on that."

The girl smiled a bit.

"I'm Andromeda Black-"

"I know," she interrupted, "We've had lessons together for six years."

"Right." said Andromeda uneasily. She cursed herself for not remembering the girl's name. "And you're… er…"

"Emmeline Vance," she said with a gentle smile, turning slightly so Andromeda could see her Ravenclaw colors, "It's alright that you don't know me- we've never talked before. I just know your name because… well, because everyone knows your name."

She nodded. The curse of having such an influential and huge family. "I know," she said, "Well, it's good to meet you. I hope you're brilliant."

Emmeline smiled. "Of course I'm brilliant," she said, "Why else would we be in the same class?"

Shaking her head, Andromeda smiled as well. She's been learning to take compliments well nowadays, since she never really got any in previous years, but it wasn't often that she was called brilliant by anyone other than Ted. She liked Emmeline Vance already.

After Professor Levitt had finished taking role, he went right into his speech about "Arithmancy is not just a subject- it's a magical discipline", which she thought was useless since every single one of the students in the class had been in Arithmancy before. But Levitt was very thorough, and would not stand for anything less than perfection, so every student got the same lecture every year. His expectations and policies were always the same.

Carson Levitt was a relatively young man, just over thirty, who started teaching at Hogwarts Andromeda's second year. Apparently he had been denied the position of Curse Breaker at Gringotts (according to the rumors and his constant complaining about the Wizarding Bank) so Dumbledore offered him the position. He was particular, a bit catty, and had a knack for favoritism. He often favored Ravenclaws. Andromeda has had him as a teacher for five years in a row now.

Needless to say, she knew Levitt's speech word for word, and was not paying attention.

It wasn't until there were fifteen minutes left in the lesson that something of importance finally came up. "As a warm up to our difficult year ahead," said Levitt, "I'm assigning an essay due a week from today."

Many of the students expressed their dislike quietly. Though, Andromeda was not surprised, and by the look on her face, neither was Emmeline.

Professor Levitt picked up a stack of grey papers from his desk and jerked his wrist, sending each student their own set. At first sight, everyone could tell they were number charts. The one that helped with future prediction was Andromeda's favorite.

"Write – Oh, I don't know – two feet all together, explaining each branch of Arithmancy. That'll be a good indication for me on where you are for the course." said Levitt, "A week from today, everyone. No exceptions."

Emmeline thumbed through her charts. "There are only four," she said, "I'm sure it won't be hard."

"I'm not sure I can fill two feet from only four charts," said Andromeda, also flipping through them, "Maybe I'll write larger, or include diagrams."

"Diagrams are a good idea."

"Hyperion Greengrass copied an entire text book page of them once."

"No!"

Shortly after the bell tolled, Emmeline and Andromeda left the room together. It was funny, Andromeda thought, considering the two of them had only just met officially and they were acting like friends. She had never had a friend outside Slytherin House before, except maybe Ted.

"Where are you headed?" asked Emmeline.

"Transfiguration, I'm helping McGonagall out." replied Andromeda.

"I have Divination," said Emmeline with a slight grin, "Funny how that works out, eh? I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Andromeda nodded. "See you." she said and Emmeline left. Andromeda noticed that she didn't ask about Emmeline's blood or family once. She found it didn't matter to her. Smiling to herself, she headed for the first floor, where first year Transfiguration was held.

She made it to the classroom right at the bell tolled again, and she quickly sat at one of the spare desks in the back of the room. Like Andromeda remembered vaguely from her own first year, a tabby cat that was Professor McGonagall sat on the desk. The students chatted excitedly, unawares of their professor.

The cat suddenly jumped off of the desk, and by the time feet hit the floor Professor McGonagall was human again. The students gasped in surprise, and many clapped. Andromeda grinned.

"Welcome to Transfiguration first years," said McGonagall, "In this room we will change the form and look of many things. One day, you will even get Transfigure each other."

The students looked around at their peers anxiously.

"Now, first we'll take roll, and we'll hand out course expectations," she continued, "Ah, Miss Black! Come help."

Andromeda walked to the front of the room and took a stack of papers from McGonagall and turned to the class. She already felt superior- she was a seventh year, and they were all first years. She knew she was going to like being the oldest.

But as she started passing out the sheets of paper, her smile diminished. Every student had a crimson and gold tie. This was a class of Gryffindor first years. She stole a glance around at the other students.

In the third row, talking with the boy next to him was Sirius.

Of course. Why did she agree to do this? She supposed when McGonagall asked her, she didn't consider the fact that she might have to see Sirius's dejected look again.

But, as she continued down the rows, she watched her cousin, and he actually looked alright. The boy he was talking to was the one with the black hair, the same one she saw next to him at the Sorting the night before. They were chatting animatedly, and every now and then Sirius cracked a smile. It wasn't until the black haired boy – Jimmy? Jamie? She couldn't remember – locked eyes with her did she notice that she had made it to their table.

Sirius turned and his eyes widened a bit. "So it is you." he muttered.

The way he said the words tugged at Andromeda's heart strings. She handed each of them a paper like she was supposed to, but did not move on. "You must not have seen me come in." she said.

He shook his head and pursed his lips. "Dromeda, I…" he trailed off, looking away. Andromeda frowned. She knew why he looked so put out. Letters to parents, telling them which House their first year had been sorted into and which classes they were taking, had been sent out by now and were going to reach homes by dinner that evening. Orion and Walburga Black were expecting a Slytherin son, like the rest of the family. They will not be happy.

"No one will talk to me," Sirius whispered, drawing Andromeda back in to focus on him, "I saw Narcissa on the way out of the Great Hall, and she hardly even looked at me. Two older Slytherin boys walked by and pushed James and I into a suit of armor, which pushed back, mind you."

The black haired boy nodded, and Andromeda suddenly remembered that he was James Potter. Then she sighed. She glanced quickly back at McGonagall, who has turned to the chalk board, and then leaned closer to Sirius.

"I'm not going to be like them, I promise," she said, "I was your favorite cousin before Hogwarts, and I'll continue to be. Hogwarts will be as fun as you always hoped it will be." Sirius grinned and nodded. "Across the bridge there's a hill with a gathering a rocks." She pulled and extra expectation sheet from her pile and flipped it to the back. She sketched the edge of the castle, and the bridge and the rock pile. "Behind those rocks is my favorite place to do homework and read and stuff. If you meet me there after your last lesson, we'll catch up, alright?"

Sirius took her little map and nodded. "Thank you, Dromeda." he said quietly.

She smiled at him and reached out to ruffle his hair. "Someone has to look after you," she said, "And that'll be me."

With one last wink, Andromeda quickly handed out the rest of the sheets and went back to her seat, to observe McGonagall's class. Every now and then she looked at the back of Sirius's head. She knew that it was going to be hell hearing from the family about Sirius being a Gryffindor, but she knew that it suited him. It was only his first day, and he seemed to have two friends already, Peter and James. Ted was right, a kid like Sirius would probably be miserable in Slytherin.

The next lesson Andromeda attended was N.E.W.T. Potions. It was only a few flights of stairs and a pass through the Entrance Hall to go from first floor Transfiguration to the Dungeons, so she was in Professor Slughorn's classroom in no time. Like all of the lessons Slughorn teaches on the first day, there were no chairs at the tables, only one with vials and cauldrons of potions on them. There were already a few seventh years gathered in the far side of the room, in front of the table. One was Ophelia. She sighed gratefully when Andromeda appeared.

"You will never guess my first two lessons." she whispered urgently, gripping Andromeda's sleeve.

Andromeda raised her eyebrow. "What are they?"

"History of Magic and N.E.W.T. Charms," she said, "It's like I got an extra two hours of sleep. Bo-ring."

Andromeda rolled her eyes. "Having History first is rough." she said.

"You have no idea. Guess who else is in it?" Ophelia tugged excitedly on Andromeda's cloak sleeve.

"Who?"

"The Gryffindors. They're so annoying, aren't they?"

"Oh, the worst."

Ophelia seemed satisfied after her complaining, but didn't ask about Andromeda's morning. Other students had now begun to fill the classroom, many in front of the two girls. She watched them file in, and just before the bell tolled and Slughorn came in from his office, Arthur Weasley hurried in, followed by a few other Gryffindor boys. Andromeda sighed sharply. She knew she wasn't going to be able to stay away from him.

"Good morning, class!" said Slughorn, excited as ever, "Today we're going to look at a couple potions to test your eyes and noses. Who's first?" No one volunteered. "Come now! You're all smart students. Let's see here… Miss Nott! Do come here."

Ophelia grumbled under her breath and put her things on the floor before walking through the students and to Slughorn. The professor lifted the lid on one of the cauldrons. Ophelia's nose wrinkled, as if she smelled something sour.

"Can you tell me that one?" said Slughorn.

"That's Polyjuice Potion, sir." she said, looking away from the bubbling grey sludge.

"Very good, five points to Slytherin!" said Slughorn, putting the lid back on. "Thank you very much, Miss Nott. Now, can someone tell me the effects of Polyjuice Potion?"

Hands rose, including Andromeda's. Slughorn called on Hyperion Greengrass. "It changes the appearance of the person whose DNA was put into the potion," he said, "For example, if I took a strand of Ophelia Nott's hair, I'd be as lovely as she is in no time."

Slughorn looked uncomfortable for a few moments, while Hyperion just grinned. Ophelia bit her lip, grinning lewdly. Andromeda watched as he winked at her and she batted her eyes back at him. Andromeda rolled her eyes. _Ew_.

"Alright, thank you Miss Nott, Mister Greengrass," said Slughorn quickly, "Five more points to Slytherin. Next will be…" He scanned the students. "Ah, Weatherly!"

"Weasley, sir." It was Arthur, sounding exasperated.

"Yes, yes, come!" he said, waving Arthur forward, the latter looking apprehensive as he approached the professor. "Sniff this, Mister Wesley, and tell me what you smell."

Slughorn held a small pot under Arthur's nose, who inhaled the shimmery fumes. His eyes remained closed for a moment before he said, "I smell strawberry tart, and something woodsy like a garden, and… flowers."

"Oh ho," said Slughorn with a slight grin, "What is this potion?"

"I… I'm not sure, sir." said Arthur, his ears slowly turning pinker as he stared at the potion.

"Class?" the professor continued, turning towards the rest of the students. Arthur followed, keeping his head hovering close to the pot.

There was a beat of silence as no one spoke up. "Amortentia, sir." said Andromeda decidedly.

"I wish I had gotten that one." whispered Ophelia, glancing around Andromeda to look at Hyperion Greengrass again.

"Yes, it is!" he said, moving his arms excitedly. Arthur jumped out of the way, but moved right back. "Amortentia, the most powerful love potion in the world! Of course, you can't create real love, that's impossible." He moved his hand, going with his dismissive words, and Arthur's head moved with it, "But it does create infatuation or obsession if drank. It smells differently to every person, according to what is most attractive to them." As if just noticing that Arthur was still there, Slughorn pressed the pot against his own chest. "You may go back, Weatherly."

Arthur sighed, either from getting his name or not being able to smell the potion anymore, and went back to where he had been standing. Andromeda couldn't help but laugh a bit on the inside. Arthur Weasley was quite comical.

"While we're on the subject of Amortentia, I would like to inform you students that you all will be brewing a lovely batch of Amortentia this year." said Slughorn, "You will be in teams of two. But don't worry; it won't be until after the Christmas holidays."

As Slughorn continued to talk, Andromeda stared at the little pot of love potion. She wondered what she would smell in the potion. Would it smell similar to Ted? Would she smell Ted at all? She hoped she would. There was no doubt in her mind that she thought Ted was very attractive, even if he was kind of skinny and hasn't quite filled out yet. He was adorable.

The rest of Potions was spent identifying the contents of the rest of the containers. Andromeda wasn't called on once.


	7. Common Rooms and Grounds

The room was only lit by a few lamps – there weren't any windows, considering Hufflepuff common room was underground – casting a warm, orange glow around the room. Not that there needed to be anymore _warm_ in the situation as Andromeda was already sweating a bit. Feathery bits of hair clung to her forehead as she tipped her head back, letting the eager mouth at her throat explore more of her skin.

Ted was shirtless, and had been for a while now. Andromeda was surprised with herself at how aggressive she was about removing his jumper and white button-up, along with his Hufflepuff tie. This was not the first time they had done this, but it was the first time that they had had the confidence, and the time, to go at each other's clothes. And for the couple that hardly got any time alone together, it was quite exhilarating.

They had just passed the six month mark, on June first, and they were completely alone in the poorly lit Hufflepuff basement. She had just taken the Potions final exam, and he the Transfiguration final. They've been at it for about twenty minutes.

Andromeda was thoroughly enjoying herself, as her heart hammered and her skin tingled with every lip touch and tongue swipe along her neck. But every now and then, her better judgment flooded her brain.

"Ted." she said suddenly, pushing gently at his bare chest.

He lifted his head, his brown eyes even darker than usual. "What?" he whispered.

"This is a terrible idea. Someone could walk in at any moment." she said, "We're right in the middle of the common room."

"Well, Helga won't let you go upstairs, so that was out of the question-"

"Sshh!" Andromeda said, placing a finger over his lips and glancing at the portrait of Helga Hufflepuff sitting over the fireplace, currently snoozing peacefully.

"She sleeps like a rock, Dromeda," Ted muttered, as he grabbed her wrist and held her hand to his mouth, "But she would notice if I tried to bring a girl into the boys' dormitories. I swear she's wired."

He started to move his mouth over the back of her hand, and then on to her knuckles. "But a first or second year-" she began, but he hushed her.

"We talked about this before. First year Hufflepuffs are taking their Defense final, second years are at Herbology, and everyone else is in Hogsmeade for the rest of the day. This is our opportunity." said Ted, before bringing her arm back to its original place, around his neck, "You're enjoying it, yes?"

He ducked his head back to her throat and she closed her eyes once more. "Yes." she replied.

She could feel him grin against her skin. Then his hand started for her shirt, which was already partly open after Ted had discarded her jumper and Slytherin tie on the floor. He started working the rest of the buttons, and she let him. If he was shirtless… why couldn't she be shirtless as well?

Ted pushed the white blouse off her shoulders and pulled it away from them. Andromeda glanced over and watched it flutter to the ground, mingling with the rest of their garments. She'd never been part of making such a mess before. But as Ted kissed back up her jaw until he got to her mouth, she found she didn't care. This was probably the most fun, rebellious thing she had ever done in her life. Her parents would explode; her sister's would be scandalized. It was perfect.

Andromeda started to lay back down, to place her head on the arm rest, and took Ted with her. One of his hands skated down her exposed stomach and to the waistband of her skirt. His fingers played around the button, and she hardly even noticed.

"Andromeda! _Andromeda_!"

Blinking rapidly, she turned her head. It was Ophelia, shaking her arm. She was back in the Charms classroom, where she had been attending her last lesson of the day. She must have been daydreaming. Actually, she knew she was daydreaming, because that particular instance happened before the summer holidays. And it was often what her mind wandered too.

"The bell already went off," said Ophelia, "Can we go now? I'd like to go to the common room before my study date."

Andromeda stood, collecting her things in an organized pile before putting them in her messenger bag. "A study date? You don't study," she said, narrowing her eyes, "Ever."

Ophelia shrugged. "Hyperion asked me to join him in the courtyard after my last lesson." she said breezily.

Andromeda nodded in understanding, following her towards the door. "You have a thing for Hyperion Greengrass." she said.

"Don't sound so judgmental!" snapped Ophelia, and Andromeda snickered quietly, "By the way, it is completely fine that I might have a thing for Hyperion- he's quite attractive."

Andromeda nodded. "Completely. He's smart, funny, and flirty. Perfect for you." she said.

Ophelia rolled her eyes. "Thanks. You're a real friend." she said sarcastically. Andromeda grinned and patted her lightly on the back.

Once down the stairs from the Dungeon corridor, the two girls found the wall that they had become familiar with over the past seven years. Ophelia stepped up to the wall and said something very quietly. It slid open, revealing a passage with lowly burning lamps. Despite the light, the chill of the dungeons did not disappear as the wall slid closed behind them.

Slytherin common room had a greenish glow to it, from the green lamps strewn about the room, as well as the lake behind the windows. The water casted wavering reflections on the floor, and did not help the fact that the common room looked a bit less than welcoming. But, for the Slytherins, it was their place to go, and it was home.

The girls' dormitory was behind the door on the left, and the seventh years happened to be in the second to last door in the small corridor, marked by a snake in the shape of the number seven.

"How odd is it going to be to see first years coming out of the last door?" said Ophelia as the two girls entered the room without knocking, "There has always been older students there. But now we're the oldest."

Andromeda hung her school bag from of the posts on her bed and started unpacking. "I'm sure it won't take long to get used to. We just have to remember not to step on them." she said.

"Or they'll learn to wait until we leave first." said Ophelia haughtily.

"Now that's not fair," said Andromeda, drawing her eyebrows together.

"Who cares? They're first years."

Andromeda rolled her eyes. She pulled off her cloak and draped it over the foot of her bed. September was still summer, and it was hot outside, and she didn't fancy sweating profusely when she met with Sirius. "Have fun on your study date." she said.

Ophelia looked up from where she was primping in her mirror. "Where are you going?"

"Outside." she replied simply, heading for the door.

"Are you meeting You-Know-Who?" asked Ophelia, crossing her arms.

Andromeda paused and turned around. "What?" she said, "That's a ridiculous thing to call someone."

"Whatever, I mean are you seeing Ted." said Ophelia, annoyed.

"No, actually, I'm seeing Sirius." said Andromeda, "He was in the class of first years I sat in this morning."

"Why are you seeing him?"

"He's my cousin, I can see him whenever I want." said Andromeda, frowning. Without saying goodbye, she left. Ever since being with Ted, and meeting Emmeline and realizing how sweet she was, it's become ever apparent that Ophelia is a real pain and a brat.

But she knows about Ted. They'll have to remain friends.

As she left the girls' dormitory, Andromeda noticed that common room had filled up in the short amount of time that she had been in there. There were students studying, playing Wizard's Chess and Exploding Snap, and just hanging around the fire and on the high-backed chairs.

Happily, she thought she was going to make it out of the room without someone catching her. When the wall slid open to let her out, a group of students seemed to be just coming in. They all said a polite hello to Andromeda, and then continued past her. Sighing in relief from not being stopped, she walked on.

The sun beat down on the Hogwarts grounds, making for a hot September afternoon. She took a moment to roll up the sleeves of her Hogwarts jumper and white blouse, and then continued through the courtyard and to the bridge. Half way across the bridge, she heard her name being called.

It was Sirius. He still had his cloak on, and some of his hair was sticking to his forehead with sweat. "I thought I was going to miss you," he said as he got closer, "I got kind of lost… I didn't have any lessons in this half of the castle today."

Andromeda smiled and shrugged. "Well, you're right on time," she said, "By the way, you're allowed to take your cloak off after lessons. It is hot."

Sirius nodded quickly and removed said garment, folding it over his arm afterwards. Then he asked, "Where are we going?"

"This way," she said, "I'll show you."

Andromeda led Sirius through the rest of the bridge and to the grounds. Down a few steps was a gathering of rocks, where she sat in the shade. Sirius sat next to her, leaning his sweating head against the cool stone.

"Tell me," Andromeda began, "How was your first day?"

"Well, my first lesson was Potions. Professor Slughorn read my name and could hardly believe his eyes." said Sirius.

"Really?" she said, raising her eyebrows.

The boy nodded. "That's what he said. 'Sirius Black, I can hardly believe my eyes!' he said. Then he asked if there were any family members who were younger than me. I told him about Regulus."

"Did he seem happy?"

"A bit."

"Well, Slughorn has had the whole lot of us Blacks in Slytherin," said Andromeda, "It's kind of been a legacy for him. We're always some of his favorites. It must be odd to him that you're in Gryffindor."

"Him and everyone else," muttered Sirius, looking at the ground. Then he looked back up. "Favorites?"

Andromeda nodded fiercely. "Oh, yes. Slughorn plays favorites madly. Bellatrix was one, I'm one, and Narcissa is one. It's a cycle."

Sirius sighed, pulling at the grass next to him. "I suppose I won't be one of his favorites, then." he said dejectedly.

Andromeda frowned. Even though Sirius has always had a disregard for the rules, sassed his parents and other adults, and was often up to no good, it was taking a toll on him to be different now that it was so frank.

Sighing, she shoved his shoulder playfully. "Alright, enough with the bad mood," she said, "Tell me about the rest of your day."

"Well, it was great," he said, the light returning to his face, "I think my favorite lesson was Defense Against the Dark Arts… Professor Merrythought said that by the end of term, we'll be able to duel!"

"Not real dueling," said Andromeda, "First years can only make each other float in the air, or tickle each other senseless."

"But still, dueling!" said Sirius with a bright grin. He was obviously excited about the fact that he'll be able to cast actual spells, and not just wreck things accidentally whenever he got upset.

"One of these days I'll take you to dueling club. Then you'll see a real duel." said Andromeda with a grin. Sirius's eyes widened a bit and he nodded excitedly. "Tell me about your dorm mates. Do you like them?"

Sirius nodded. "They're great, Dromeda! James Potter – remember James? – has the bed on one side of me, and Peter has the other side. Remember Peter?"

"I remember."

"He's really shy. Anyway, the other boys in our dormitory are Remus Lupin and Frank Longbottom. I think you would like Remus, Dromeda- he's brilliant, reads a lot of books. He and I went to the library for the first time together after Transfiguration." he said breathlessly, a smile on his face all the while.

Andromeda had to smile back. "Sounds like you have a nice cluster of friends growing." she said.

Sirius looked down at the grass again, although his smile was still intact. "Yeah, I guess I do." he said. Then he looked at Andromeda. "I wouldn't have those friends if I were in Slytherin. Who would be my friend? Severus Snape?"

"Who?"

"A first year Slytherin who is always hanging around us during lessons. He sits with Lily Evans." he said matter-of-factly.

"Oh. Well, you know," said Andromeda, moving closer to put her arm around her cousin, "I think Gryffindor suits you, love."

Sirius looked up and smiled at the old nickname. She was the only one who had ever called him something other than Sirius. "By the way, Dromeda," he said, kind of meekly, "Please don't call me that around my friends."

Andromeda scoffed. "What? You're turning into one of them already." she said.

Sirius knit his eyebrows together. "Turning into who?" he asked.

"A _man_."

Sirius laughed, his cheeks pink, and Andromeda joined in. They sat there together, talking, until it was time for dinner.

That night in the common room, Andromeda found her sister sitting in one of the straight-backed chairs by the fireplace. She was staring into the flames, and the colors danced in her dark irises.

Andromeda sat on the sofa. "Cissy?" she prodded quietly.

Narcissa looked up and seemed relieved at who it was. "Evening." she said.

"How was your first day?" asked Andromeda.

"My stress levels are already fit to burst. Every single one of the professors talked about O.W.L.'s today, on the first day!" said her sister, "It's madness."

"Don't worry about those stupid tests until the end of the year," she said, "You know what they are, anyway? _Ordinary_. It's in the name."

Narcissa didn't say anything, but turned back to look at the fire. Andromeda sighed.

"I talked to Sirius today." she said.

Narcissa picked up her head again. "How is he?" she asked.

"Doing fine, actually, except for the couple times some older students pushed him and his friends around." said Andromeda.

Standing, Narcissa said, "He's tough, he can handle those goons. They're nothing compared to his parents."

Andromeda snickered, nodding in agreement. "Imagine what our parents would do if one of us had been put in Gryffindor."

"I'd rather not," said Narcissa, shaking her head with a grin. "There is a chance that father would have died." Andromeda smiled and nodded again. "Goodnight, Andromeda." she said

"Goodnight, Narcissa."

The youngest nodded and left the common room for the girls' dormitory. Andromeda slouched back on the sofa. She thought of her younger sister, and how mature she seemed for her age. She was so much easier to talk to than Bellatrix. Narcissa and Andromeda were much closer to each other than to the older sister.

**AN: Please follow my twitter, _AprilFlowers96. Thanks to all my readers and reviewers! You're all great. **


	8. Field Lessons

The last day of September was the first chilly day of the year. It was also the first day that Andromeda's Astronomy class went to the top of the Astronomy tower- at three in the morning. Students grumbled all the way up the steps, but Professor Scamander was hearing none of it. He was too excited. "Nothing is more enthralling than seeing stars in the morning!" he had said cheerfully when the class started their little adventure in the dark.

Professor Scamander came from a family that was famous for doing dangerous and exciting field work, the same one that produced the author of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ and one of Hogwarts's past Headmasters. The Scamanders were also notorious for being a bit loony, and the professor was no exception. He told friends and colleagues to call him "Scam", short for his last name. No one, except maybe Dumbledore, knew his first.

"Come on now, seventh years!" he called from the top of the tower, "We're wasting precious moonlight!"

Andromeda was towards the end of the line, joined by Ophelia, and Hyperion Greengrass. A few Ravenclaws that the Slytherins shared the class with formed the rear. "Does the man ever sleep?" Andromeda said over her shoulder.

"I doubt it." replied Ophelia, who was behind her. "Not at night, at least."

Hyperion grumbled something that sounded like "vampire" as he huffed his way behind Ophelia. The passage to the top of the Astronomy tower was so airy, and precarious, they all thought the staircase would buckle under their weight at any moment.

The last of the students finally made it to the top of the tower. For the first time since winter, the students' breath showed up as little white clouds before their mouths.

"Kill me." Ophelia whispered, shivering. Hyperion put an arm around her shoulders. After that study date and a lunch date or two, Ophelia and Hyperion became an item. It was the talk of Andromeda's dormitory for two nights in a row.

Professor Scamander clapped his hands. "Okay, class! Today we're going to locate three major constellations in the sky, and take note of their location in our notebooks. I'll go easy on you for our first morning in the field." he said.

Andromeda sighed and turned to the nearest telescope. As she bent down to look through the lens, someone tapped her on the shoulder. It obviously wasn't Ophelia or Hyperion, she decided as she glanced up quickly, as they were too absorbed in each other at the moment. Turning, she found it was Emmeline.

Arithmancy, Transfiguration, and Astronomy were the only classes she shared with her new friend. In Arithmancy they sat together, but in the other two, they had other friends as well.

"Can I join you?" Emmeline asked with a small smile.

Andromeda nodded yes immediately. When she looked over at the other two, Ophelia had raised her eyebrow questionably. She knew what she was thinking- Ophelia didn't really like Emmeline, mainly because she thought she was know-it-all Ravenclaw, and liked to answer questions in class often. Andromeda dismissed her.

After about another half hour, Andromeda and Emmeline were the only ones who had contributed in any way. Andromeda wasn't thinking about it, as this usually happened when she worked with Ophelia, but Emmeline was starting to look agitated. When she was sure Ophelia and Hyperion weren't looking, she took Andromeda by the elbow.

"I hate to be rude, but aren't they going to do anything?" she whispered, "The two of us have been doing the whole assignment."

Andromeda shrugged. "This is normal for me." she replied.

Emmeline shook her head and pushed some frizzy hair out of her eyes. "She likes to use you." she said.

"I know." Andromeda sighed and nodded, "But she's all I have."

Frowning, Emmeline turned back to the telescope and started to rattle off stars and positions. Silently, Andromeda took them down in her notebook.

The class lasted its usual hour, which consisted of looking at the sky and many outbursts from Professor Scamander, and then they were dismissed. Andromeda said a hasty goodbye to Emmeline, who still looked quite annoyed, and got completely ignored by the new couple, but was the first one down the tower steps anyway.

Quickly, she made her way towards a back staircase, away from the Astronomy classrooms, to avoid the other students and Professor Scamander. The threats of an early morning Prefect or the caretaker, Filch, were still weighing her down, however. In one of the alcoves on the outer wall of the castle, Ted waited for her. Most students took the time after Astronomy field lessons to get a few more hours of sleep, but Andromeda could not think of a better time to see her secret boyfriend. Surprisingly, though, it was his idea to get up before four a.m. to meet her.

She found Ted sitting on the window sill, one of his legs dangling over the side and the other propping up his arm. He was looking out the window, and didn't notice Andromeda until she got close enough for him to hear the echo of her footsteps on the stairs.

"Morning." he said cheerfully.

Andromeda raised her eyebrow. "Aren't you chipper." she said.

Ted shrugged, grinning. "I'm always happy to see you, love," he said. He held his arms out for her, and she climbed up to join him on the windowsill. She settled in between his legs, and rested her head on his chest.

"You're such a cheese ball." said Andromeda.

"I know." Ted replied, shrugging a bit. He started to play with the ends of her hair. "How was your lesson?"

"Cold and pointless," said Andromeda, rolling her eyes, "We didn't even learn anything. I am pretty sure that Scamander was just stir crazy and picked us out of a hat for the field lesson."

Ted laughed lightly, and she could hear the soft rumble in his chest. She looked up at him and narrowed her eyes. "What?" she demanded.

"Nothing," he replied with a shake of his head, "You're just amusing."

Andromeda grinned and rolled her eyes. Ted made a face, but leaned down to kiss her anyway. Afterwards, there was a stretch of comfortable silence in which they just enjoyed each other, but Andromeda remembered something that she ought to tell him. "I think I might tell Narcissa." she said.

"Really? About us?" said Ted, surprised. She nodded. "I thought this whole arrangement was so that your sisters _didn't_ find out about us."

Andromeda sighed. "I know, and it was, but now that Bellatrix has left…" she paused, trying to think of what to say. "I feel like we can trust Narcissa. I mean, if you really think about it, she can be trusted easier than Ophelia can and she hasn't told anyone." Ted didn't say anything, so Andromeda looked up at him. "What do you think?" she asked.

Ted remained quiet for a bit longer before he smiled softly at her. "If you think that you should tell her, then I am okay with it." he said, "I just don't want anyone to come between us. Your sister was raised the same way you were… we might not be able to convince her."

Andromeda nodded, turning away to look out the window. She couldn't see much, as it was still dark, but moonlight reflecting off of the Black Lake highlighted the trees surrounding it. "I'll think about it a bit more," she said, "Then I'll decide."

Ted nodded and squeezed her close, giving her the best hug he could in the position they were in. "You know, we're always talking about my family." said Andromeda, "You haven't told me much about yours. What are they like?"

"My family? Oh. Well, there isn't much to say." said Ted, "I'm an only child, so I grew up without many kids to play with. My dad's name is Marvin-"

"Marvin Tonks?" Andromeda giggled.

Ted rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know. If you haven't noticed, Dromeda, I don't have the most attractive name either." he said.

"It suits you," she said simply, "Now, continue."

"Alright. My mother's name is Claire, and she's a professional artist." Ted said.

"Artist?"

"She paints murals on the sides of buildings, designs posters and billboards, and tons of other things. She's quite interesting. I look just like her." he said.

Andromeda smiled at him. "She must be gorgeous." she said.

Ted smiled back. "Always the charmer." he said, poking her in the ticklish spot on her side. She yelped and jumped as Ted laughed. Then he continued.

"My dad is a newspaper editor. He's the boss of the Muggle newspaper in our city." he said.

"That's interesting," said Andromeda, "I bet that's a fun job."

"Oh, absolutely, if you like bossing people around."

Andromeda nodded with a grin. "I do." she said.

"Yeah, I know." said Ted, poking her again. This time as he laughed, she swatted him playfully on the arm.

They sat, talked, kissed, for hours until it was late enough to go to the Great Hall for breakfast. Separately, of course. Although she loved spending the time with Ted, Andromeda wished that she had gone back to bed. While Ophelia and Hyperion looked fresh and well-rested at breakfast, Andromeda probably looked like she had just been trampled by a Hippogriff. The day had just started, and she was already feeling tired.

The only great thing about that particular day was that she had Defense Against the Dark Arts that morning. It was a N.E.W.T. class, one of the only two that Ted took, which meant that they were in the same class. Over the first month of the term, the class had been studying and practicing nonverbal spells, and Professor Merrythought promised that she would let them practice in dueling come October. Even though it was not officially October yet, she hoped that dueling day would be this day.

However, first she had to sit through Herbology. How Andromeda despised Herbology, but Slughorn told her the previous year it was either that or Care of Magical Creatures, so she chose Herbology. Once she arrived in the sticky greenhouse, though, she wished she could be outside on the cool grounds.

Today, the class attended to pots with green plants with purple leaves on them. Their job was to take samples of the purple leaves- but if it was done incorrectly, the leaves spurted something yellow and sticky. The goo made Hyperion's neck itch and turn purple for a whole twenty minutes before their professor noticed and dabbed him with ointment.

Ophelia was irritated, but Andromeda just found it funny.

It was quite the hike from the greenhouses on the grounds to the third floor, but nonetheless, Andromeda was on time to her favorite class of the day. To her extreme delight, all the desks were gone from the room, which meant one of two things: either there was going to be a demonstration, or they were dueling.

The rest of her class was babbling excitedly, obviously expecting the same thing as she was. Every student wanted to show off how good they were at fighting; plenty of people wanted to be their House dueling champion.

"Do you think we'll get to pick our partners?" asked Hyperion, who was also in her class, and stuck next to her when he and Ophelia went their separate ways.

Andromeda shrugged. "I don't know. You have someone in mind?" she asked.

"I was thinking that Tonks guy," he said. Andromeda's heart lurched. "He knocked me right off the table last year at dueling club. I want to get him back."

"I wish you luck, Hyperion." she said absently. She was now scanning the crowd for Ted. He wasn't there. She sincerely hoped he wasn't skipping to sleep. She should have told him that meeting so early in the morning was a bad idea.

The bell tolled, and in rushed Ted, his hair windswept and his cloak falling off his shoulders. He quickly fixed himself and strode in, either avoiding Andromeda's gaze or pretending he didn't see her. She rolled her eyes, but thought he was awfully cute anyway.

Professor Merrythought was standing at the front of the room in a dark magenta robe. Her white hair was plaited down her back, and a pair of thick spectacles sat on her face. Even though she was quite old, Merrythought was great with magic and one of Andromeda's favorite teachers.

"Now that we are all here," said Professor Merrythought, "I can get down to business. We are dueling today."

There was an instant uproar of excitement, and questions about going first and dueling partners. Merrythought held out her hands to hush them. "This year, there will only be one duel per class." she continued, "The rules are simple: you are allowed three verbal spells, the rest must be nonverbal; if you send your opponent rocketing across the room, you will be disqualified; and no snakes. I don't like snakes." She looked at her eager students. "Who would like to go first?"

Almost every hand shot into the air. Andromeda bounced on the balls of her feet, trying to be seen, like Hyperion, who towered over everyone. Merrythought surveyed them.

"Let's see… Oh, Miss Prewett, if you please! Mister Greengrass, you will join her."

Andromeda let her arm drop, disappointed. She watched dejectedly as Hyperion made his way to the center of the room, followed by a short, plump, ginger girl in Gryffindor robes.

The class filed to stand on the sides of what seemed to be the dueling field, so that they wouldn't be hit by spells that missed their target. Somehow (though not surprisingly) Ted ended up right across from Andromeda. She raised her eyebrows. He winked at her, causing her to shake her head quickly, but blush pink. Ted nodded his head in the Prewett girl's direction – Andromeda didn't know her name – saying he was betting on her winning. Andromeda shook her head and nodded towards Hyperion, who had taken off his cloak and dramatically dropped it on the floor. The girl just looked bored, her arms crossed, a wand in one hand.

"Unspoken rules always count, for everyone's benefit. No fatal spells or any spells that could seriously injure. All others are okay." said Professor Merrythought, "Duel!"

The class cheered their encouragement. Hyperion and girl bowed to each other, and then saluted their wands before they started. Hyperion threw the first spell. The girl jumped quickly out of the way and shot her own jet of light. It hit its mark, sending Hyperion off balance for a moment.

"Way to go, Molly!"

"Let's go, Greengrass!"

The class obviously divided their support between the students, which seemed to lean more towards Molly Prewett, as she was the Gryffindor. Not many students rooted for the Slytherins other than those in the same House.

Molly cast another spell, this time red, but Hyperion already had the shield charm up. Andromeda was surprised with how well they were doing with nonverbal spells- they had only a month to practice. As the two students continued to duel, she thought about her own chance. Who would she get to go up against? She had been hoping for Hyperion, as he talked big but didn't really have the skill, which showed as Molly Prewett knocked him on his backside for the third time. Perhaps she could duel Ted. Would they be an even match? Would he beat her?

She definitely had to duel him. She had to know.

The bell rang twenty minutes later, and the duel had to the end. The opponents bowed to each other and parted. Andromeda waited for Hyperion. "That Gryffindor girl kicked your arse." she laughed as they left the classroom.

"Don't talk about it." Hyperion grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. She snickered again, and suddenly Ted appeared on Hyperion's other side.

"Greengrass." he greeted cheerfully.

Hyperion didn't even look. "Tonks." he replied stonily.

Ted plowed on through the apparent hostility. "That duel reminded me about how badly I creamed you last May," he said, and Andromeda's shoulders started to quiver with more laughter at the look on Hyperion's face, "And it made me quite excited about the fact that Dueling Club should be starting up around Halloween. What do you think? You and me, rematch?"

"You're on."

"Fabulous. I should warn you, I have been practicing, and I see you haven't." said Ted, glancing around Hyperion to grin at Andromeda. She was smiling too, and shaking her head. Ted's whit sure was pissing off Hyperion, but it was so entertaining for her.

Hyperion made a sound close to a growl. "Get out of here, badger." he said callously.

Ted shrugged, unfazed. "I'm hungry for lunch anyway." he said. Then he pointedly, on purpose, looked at Andromeda. "Hello, Andromeda."

"Hello, Ted." she replied easily. Without another word, he left, jogging to catch up with a couple of friends on the staircase.

"You're on a first name basis with Ted Tonks?" asked Hyperion, raising his eyebrow at her.

Andromeda shrugged. "I'm a nice person, Hyperion. Plus, we're seventh years. None of this will matter once we graduate." she said. He rolled his eyes, but she smiled anyway. She liked to think that. School will not matter once her seventh year is over.

**AN: So sorry about the wait! Now that school is over, I can focus on writing again. Let me know what you think! Be _fabulous_ like Ted. ;) By the way, this is the longest chapter so far! That is all.**


	9. A Miserable October Day

"Weekends are always the most boring part of the week for me – a little more silver, there you go – considering they've always been filled with homework since fourth year. But this weekend I don't have much to do… I think we seventeen-year-olds should be allowed to just go home when we wanted. Don't you?"

"No." replied Andromeda lazily, flipping a page in the book she was reading.

Ophelia scoffed. "I would. My house is more interesting than this common room." she said. She looked at her hand. "Hurry it up, will you?" she snapped. The little nail polish brushes that had been painting Ophelia's nails for the past twenty minutes started to go faster, working diligently on the ornate green and silver design she wanted. Andromeda had charmed them herself.

"It's only tryouts, Ophelia," said Andromeda, feeling an odd pity for the brushes.

"I know," she replied, "But I want to support Hyperion. He deserves to be on this Quidditch team, Andromeda. He'll need all the fans he can get."

Andromeda shook her head. "He's a seventh year. If he was good enough to be on the team, don't you think he would have made it by now?" she said. It was common knowledge that Hyperion Greengrass tried out for Slytherin's Quidditch team every year, but never made it. He was too burly to be comfortable on the broom, although he never accepted that. Maybe getting rejected for the fifth year in a row would finally convince him.

"Be that as it may," said Ophelia as she inspected her nails, "He still expects me to support him. So I'll be there. You'll come too, won't you?"

Andromeda sighed. "I suppose." she replied.

"Lovely. I'm sure it will be amusing."

Andromeda turned her attention back to her book, and didn't notice when Ophelia got up to join Hyperion on the other side of the room. She did notice when a larger body sat in the spot her friend had vacated, however.

"Leave."

Her order did not deter him. "Look what I have, Andromeda," said Lucius Malfoy, dropping a sleek piece of parchment right onto the page she had been reading, "An invitation."

Across the top of the parchment, the words read _Dear Mr. Malfoy_ and then _you are cordially invited _as the opening line. And then, as she feared, the closing was _your gracious hosts, The Black Family._ Andromeda pushed the parchment away. It was an invitation to her family's annual winter gala, held every year at their manor on Christmas Eve. Any respectable pureblooded family was invited, and attended. The entire night was full of scripted hellos from Andromeda and her sisters, and dancing with anyone who needed a partner. She had hated every second of it since she had been required to attend.

"It was personally addressed to me, you know," Lucius continued, folding the letter neatly in his lap, "I wonder why that is. Usually my family is just invited as a whole." When Andromeda pointedly ignored him, he kept talking anyway. "Perhaps my _gracious hosts_ want me to be there so much, they made sure a handsome owl came all the way from Somerset with an invitation just for me."

"I don't care, Lucius. I don't write the invitations or the guest list, my mother does, and you know that." said Andromeda irritably, harshly turning a page in the book still open on her lap.

Lucius scooted closer and slipped his arm around her shoulders. Andromeda had the sudden feeling of being slowly strangled by a snake. "Or perhaps Mr. and Mrs. Black are in need of a suitor for their next in line." he whispered nastily.

Andromeda made a disgusted face and moved her own arm to remove his, but before she could complete the action, there was a sharp clearing of the throat behind them. As she turned, to her relief, she found Narcissa standing there. Not far behind her was Estella Flint, one of her friends.

"Narcissa," Andromeda breathed, turning around to face her sister, "What is it?"

"I have something for you. Both of you." said the blonde, eyeing Lucius disdainfully. The latter quickly withdrew his arm, matching Narcissa's gaze. "Lucius." she greeted curtly.

"Narcissa." he replied shortly.

She took two of the green envelopes from under her arm and handed one to each of them. Andromeda immediately recognized it. "Thank you, Cissy." she said. Narcissa gave her a quick smile and left for the girls' dormitory, Estella Flint following closely behind her.

Lucius had already opened his. "Oh, look, a Slug Club dinner tomorrow night," he said.

Andromeda pulled out the parchment inside. "So it is." she said, reading over the invitation. It read that Sunday, which was the next day, in the evening, Professor Horace Slughorn was having a dinner party for a group of his hand-selected students. She was one of them and is invited to attend. These students have nicknamed the group the Slug Club.

"Are you going?" asked Lucius as he stuffed the invitation into his pants pocket.

She nodded. "I suppose. I have nothing better to do." she said.

"Brilliant," he said as he got to his feet, "If you'll excuse me, Miss Black, I have another invitation to reply to." He smirked and waved the Christmas Gala invite in front of her face for a moment before he left the room.

Andromeda buried her nose back into her book. "Git." she muttered to herself.

Not only did Ophelia make Andromeda attend Quidditch trials, she made her stay afterwards to wait for Hyperion to be finished changing out of his robes. This resulted in the two girls standing outside the stadium, wind whipping in every direction, and some pretty sour moods. Andromeda might have warmed up to him a bit over the last month, but Hyperion Greengrass was not worth this.

"I don't think he made it, Ophelia." said Andromeda. Unsurprisingly, Hyperion had gone out for Keeper again, and had missed all but three shots. This was very unlike the other potential Keeper, Emma Vanity, a fifth year who had been on the team for three years prior and had extraordinary skill.

Ophelia shot her friend a glare. "You're not being very supportive! Who cares if he made it? All the matters is that we were here, despite the weather." she said moodily.

"You mean the blistery, windy _misery_ that Britain calls a normal October day?" scoffed Andromeda, wrapping herself tighter in her cloak and burying her face into her scarf.

"Stop your complaining!" said Ophelia, "Here he comes."

Out of the boys' locker room came Hyperion Greengrass and current Slytherin captain Steve Laughalot. They seemed to be having a very jovial conversation, as both of them were grinning as they approached the girls.

"I'll see you, Greengrass, all right?" said Steve before he said a polite greeting to the girls and left up to the path to the castle.

Hyperion put his arm around Ophelia's shoulders and kissed her temple. "That was fun," he said, "Steve was just telling me how to regain my balance after sliding off." And he needed it, Andromeda thought, as he had lost his balance quite a few times while playing and nearly plummeted to the ground. "Great captain, Steve is." he continued.

Back at the castle, a number of people had gathered in the Entrance Hall, near the bottom of the Grand Staircase. Upon entering, Andromeda stood on her toes to try to see what was happening, but there were too many heads in the way.

There was the resounding sound of wood hitting the marble floor, which was unmistakably a dropped wand. "Take it back!" someone shouted, in a strangely high pitched voice.

Hang on, Andromeda knew that voice. She had heard it so many times yelling at Regulus. "Oh no." she muttered and started to push her way through, not caring to be polite. Just as she feared, there was Sirius, holding another first year by two fistfuls of cloak.

The other boy, a bit larger than Sirius, easily pushed him off, sending Sirius stumbling away. Andromeda noticed that he already had a fat lip. "Bugger off!" the other boy shouted, trying to back away. Andromeda expected him to be scared, or hurt, but he just looked angry.

Sirius was livid. As soon as he had his footing, he went for the boy again, but someone caught his arms and held him back. To her surprise, it was Arthur Weasley. The other boy had stumbled and fallen onto the Grand Staircase.

"What is going on here?" It was Professor McGonagall, rushing out of the Great Hall and forcing herself into the thick of things. Her eyes fell on the two first years, Sirius with his fat lip, and the other boy on the stairs. "Both of you to my office, now!" she snapped. Arthur let Sirius go and stepped back, scooping up the discarded wand from the floor. His anger forgotten, Sirius now just looked upset and pained. Andromeda wanted to comfort him, but they were already on their way to McGonagall's office.

As the crowd who thought it might have been amusing to watch to first years fight dispersed, Andromeda went up the stairs to follow them. She waited outside McGonagall's office for only fifteen minutes. The other boy was the first one to come out. She noticed for the first time that he was wearing a Slytherin cloak, and she recognized him from the Sorting and seeing him around the common room. She just couldn't name him.

Then Sirius appeared, looking just as upset as before. He perked up a bit, however, when he noticed Andromeda. "You were there?" he asked her.

"Only right at the end." she replied, "What were you doing? Why did you pick a fight with that boy?"

Sirius crossed his arms. "He picked the fight! He was just… mean." he said quietly.

"Sirius," Andromeda sighed, "You don't try to beat someone up just for being mean-"

"You don't understand, Dromeda!" shouted Sirius, causing her to recoil a bit, "My parents finally sent me a letter home, and I was reading it on the staircase. You know what they said? They said "don't disgrace us further". That slimy git must have been looking over my shoulder, because he told me I deserved it, and then called me a bloodtraitor."

Andromeda frowned. She expected that her aunt and uncle would get around to making their Gryffindor son feel bad about himself sometime soon, but that other kid had no business looking at Sirius's letter. And Sirius was not a bloodtraitor, at least not officially. Technically, you had to be disowned first. "Who is he?" she asked.

"Severus Snape," he spat, "I assume he was trying to get back at me for taking Lily Evans as my Potions partner. She was the only smart one left! James claimed Remus."

"Ah. Well, next time, don't try to punch the kid's lights out." said Andromeda, putting her arm around Sirius's shoulders, "And you are most certainly not a bloodtraitor. You're just different."

Sirius nodded, frowning. Suddenly, he felt around his pockets. "I've lost my wand." he said frantically.

"I think Arthur Weasley has it." said Andromeda.

Sirius sighed in relief. "Thank Merlin. I would be a goner without a wand." he said. They were quiet for some time, and walked towards Gryffindor Tower. Well, Sirius did, Andromeda just followed.

"You have lessons with Arthur, right?" he asked.

Andromeda nodded slowly. "Yes." she replied.

Sirius pursed his lips, hesitating. "You know, we're family." he said.

Andromeda's eyes widened. She looked around at the students they were passing, but none of them seemed to be paying any attention. Sirius had been only a baby when Cedrella was disowned, and she doubted that his parents would have told him. Cedrella didn't exist to them anymore. "How do you know that?" she asked.

"Arthur told me," said Sirius, "The first weekend I was here, I was sitting in the common room, and he sat next to me. We talked for a while, and then he told me about the whole situation."

Andromeda stopped and took Sirius by the shoulders. "Listen, love. I know you like Arthur Weasley, but you can't tell anyone else what you know, okay? You could get in big trouble with the family-"

"I know," Sirius interrupted, "Arthur told me that too. But he said it was safe to tell you that I know, because he said that you were already aware."

Andromeda nodded, turning away. "Right." she replied. Then she looked at Sirius and placed one of her hands under his chin to push his head up slightly. "I think you need to go to Madam Pomfrey for that lip. It's pretty gross."

Successfully changing the subject, Sirius nodded. "I will. Wicked battle scar though, eh?" he asked with a grin. Andromeda smiled at him and shook her head, and they continued walking down the corridor.

So that proved that Arthur was aware of his connection with her, and also that he had no intention of speaking to her about it. Not that she wanted to speak to him… or did she? Andromeda did miss Cedrella, and talking to Arthur about her might give her some closure. But she couldn't. It was like dating Ted… forbidden. But, said a little voice in her head, you're still with him.

Which begs the question: Does she even want to know what happened to Cedrella? What could happen to her, if she continues on the path she's on?


End file.
